Tie Now a Silver Thread
by BlushingRojas
Summary: Izuku has a reason to live, and he'll fight for his right to do so —and if that means mastering magic, then he'll do so with vigor. (cross-posted on AO3)
1. Of a World Seen Anew

It's quite a thing to _See_ the world as it actually is. To See the old aspects of it, of those who trod these lands for longer than any mortal. Izuku has always been drawn to the Neighbors that congregated near-natural lands: like a park or near the ocean on the cleaner area of the beach, or the forest just outside the outskirts of the city. Each Neighbor — quite mind-boggling, truly — come in all forms and colors. Izuku's Ariel Neighbors always greet him in the mornings by rapping on his bedroom window. They bring him flowers in exchange for a spoonful of honey. Sometimes they weave the flowers into his hair and other times they form crowns and settle it atop his head. Izuku loves it.

His mom takes his flowery hair in stride each morning and often wonders why they go through so much honey, always raising an amused and inquisitive brow when Izuku's giggles as she muses about it aloud.

Izuku always answers honestly, "It's for our Neighbors!" and so life goes on.

Until Izuku one day feels nauseous. His vision blurs and he falls to his knees during lunch at school. His Ariel Neighbors, ever the constant source of companionship since his fallout with Kacchan five years ago, yell in panic and Wisteria flits around nervously in front of Izuku's face, snapping her fingers and slapping her hands on his nose to get his attention. But Izuku's eyes glaze over, and he starts to heave and choke. There's upheaval and then there are hands, human hands, that grasp at him. Izuku heaves once more and coughs up blood that makes his throat burn. Wisteria is beyond worried, as are Chrys and Iris, and all settle in Izuku's hair when the paramedics finally arrive to whisk him away.

Izuku is in the hospital for five days following the day of his episode for testing. His mom is worried sick and hardly leaves his side, bringing him honey and small flowers — like Baby's Breath or Forget-Me-Nots — that are later on weaved into Izuku's hair by his Neighbors when no one is present. Chrys tells Izuku about the Queen of the Fae, Titania, and her husband the King of the Fae, Oberon. Iris weaves tales of magic to entertain him, about a Sleigh Beggy named Hatori Chise and her husband, the Thorn Mage Ainsworth Elias. Both who have lived in a small Cottage in England for the past three centuries. Wisteria, on the other hand, keeps on weaving the Baby Breath's his mother had brought in earlier that day into his hair, humming a joyful tune under her breath.

"What am I?" Izuku asks on the third day of being hospitalized.

Silence follows, all three exchanging wary glances but then Chrys nods his head in determination and floats up in front of Izuku's face, a good arm's length away.

"You are a Sleigh Beggy," Chrys says at last, "probably one of the last of your kind."

"A Sleigh Beggy." Izuku echoes despondently, and there are tears threatening to fall from the corner of his eyes.

"Izuku?"

"I don't want to _die_," he sniffles, hunching into himself. His Neighbors converge on him, whispering soft reassurances. "I don't want to die, I don't want to leave my mom all alone, I don't want to leave you guys. I don't want to die! I want to save everyone with a smile, like All Might, and how can I do that if I'm dead?"

"Izuku," Iris says softly. "We won't let you die."

"But that's not a promise you can keep." He wails.

"It's one we can try to keep," Wisteria says, "and have all intentions of doing so."

Izuku merely nods. He allows them to wipe his wet cheeks and lull him to sleep with their soft singing.

On the fourth and final day of his hospitalization, Izuku wakes to see a thick flower crown made of lavender on the table beside his bed. Chrys is snoozing in the middle of it while Wisteria and Iris are nowhere in sight. Izuku does not feel rested, at all, and instead feels as if his bones were suddenly weighed down with how lethargic he moves.

Then the door slowly opens and Izuku moves his head to greet his mom, only for the words to die on his lips when he sees that who's at his hospital room door is not, in fact, his mother. Instead, a young woman with short red hair and brilliant green eyes stands at the door. Most peculiar is the lone glove on only one hand.

"You—" Izuku licks his chapped lips, "you're not mom."

The woman smiles, "I'm afraid not. May I come in?"

"Go ahead."

The woman settles herself elegantly on the chair beside his bed, and something in the back of Izuku's mind strikes her familiar to him. It takes a second for Izuku to register that he himself asks the question, "Do I know you?"

The woman shakes her head, "You don't know me personally, but what I could gather you've heard about me.

"Allow me to introduce myself. I'm Hatori-Ainsworth Chise, a Sleigh Beggy, just like you."

Chrys plops the flower crown on Izuku's head when he takes too long to answer, apparently having woken up sometime during the exchange.

Izuku rights the flower crown on his head, stalling some, before turning back to Hatori-san. "I'm Midoriya Izuku. I was told of your accomplishments to pass time by one of my Neighbors."

"You have kind Neighbors, Midoriya-kun." Hatori-san praises, directing the sentence to Izuku as well as to Chrys, who preens at the attention. "They came to me at dawn today, asking for a favor. Once I heard your story, my husband and I agreed to the favor. On a condition."

_A condition_?

"We'll explain everything to your mother and if she is willing, we will accommodate both of you with us and train you in the ways of magic." Hatori-san's countenance is serious. "That means, however, that you will have to move. Move away from here, from your home and friends, and leave everything you know behind to go to England."

— _move? _He clenches his fists, deep in thought. He'd have to move from everything he's ever known, everything he's ever cared about and made memories of, cherished, _loved_. But, at the same time, his life is on the line, his very future keeps dwindling every time he takes a rattling breath. He's willing to make such a big leap if only to have a future to look forward to; to see his mother smile with no restraint, without lines of worry etching on her face.

"I don't want to die." He says with finality. "I want to live! To look forward to the future with my family. I don't care if I have to move for that, I'll do it!"

Hatori-san smiles again, and another voice pipes up from behind her, from her shadow, actually. "You have the conviction."

Izuku stills his trembling hands on the comforter when the shadow warps, rising and forming into the humanoid body of one Ainsworth Elias — the most prominent feature of all is certainly the skull (perhaps of some canine: a dog? Wolf?) and curling horns. He's dressed impeccably, and honest to god absolutely _towering_.

"Ainsworth-san," Izuku says, trying to bow in greeting but a gloved hand from Hatori-san stops him in place.

Hatori-san gives him a wry quirk of her lips, "Save your energy, Midoriya-kun."

"She's right," pipes in Chrys, "especially after your episode last night."

Izuku's lips curl at the memory. He'd woken up at the crack of dawn, with his own blood choking him until he was blue in the face and the nurses forcing him up into a sitting position until they got the blood to flow out of him naturally into a bucket. The amount lost had made him dizzy afterward and he had passed out. Come to think of it now, they connected him to an IV. A quick peek and yeah, he has an IV needle poked into his arm. Wonderful.

"How many of these episodes have you had?" Hatori-san asks worriedly, exchanging a glance with her husband.

Before Izuku can reply, Chrys butts into the conversation again. "His first one was at school, and since then, he's had about two episodes since being hospitalized."

Izuku looks at Chrys, betrayed, but the Ariel is unrepentant as he stares back.

"That's quite a few," Hatori-san says, sounding strangled.

"We'd have to make the move soon." Ainsworth-san states. "You're quite susceptible to magic, it seems. You're intaking too much of it without anything to stifle it."

"We'll have to commission Althea," Hatori-san continues, "have her make something like her mother made for me."

Hatori-san smiles, all soft and caring, like his mom's. "We won't let you die, Midoriya-kun."

Izuku feels fresh tears start to gather at the corner of his eyes, and he can't help but sniffle. Chrys settles on his shoulder and hugs his neck, muttering soothing words.

Until his mom arrives, Hatori-san shows him small bouts of magic and her wand. She talks about magic and what it entails, how wonderful it can be, and also how careful one should be when studying it. She explains that her longevity is caused by an Immortal Curse that she gained by Joseph's Eye, and how she eluded the repercussions of being a Sleigh Beggy up until that point.

"I used to be very uncaring about myself," she explains, "to the point where I was uncaring if I lived or died. I didn't have the same will to live as you do, and it took me a while to find that same conviction to keep on going, to strive forward, and until Elias offered me a home and a family, I was just a husk going through the motions.

"Then, alongside Elias and Ruth and Silky, I found my will, my conviction, to keep striving forward. I guess that was a key stepping stone in my life."

"Since being diagnosed as quirkless," Izuku says sometime later, beaming when Hatori-san places his flower crown on her head. "It's been hard. I lost my childhood friend because he believed himself to be better than me due to his quirk. The other kids look down on me for my quirklessness, they belittled me. But, throughout all that—" Izuku finds it hard to breathe past his swirling emotions.

"You had your Neighbors."

"I had my Neighbors," Izuku agrees with a shaky grin. "I would blind to not see how caring they are of me."

Hatori-san matches his grin.

On the fifth day of his hospitalization, his mom agrees to the condition, taking everything about magic in stride. Midoriya Inko is a force to be reckoned with when it comes to the well-being of Izuku, and so they sign Izuku out of the hospital despite the many objections of doctors and head home with Hatori-san; her husband lurks in her shadow.

"We'll move you guys today," she explained back at the hospital, "magic can travel great lengths in a short amount of time. So pack what you need for now, and we'll be back at a later date to collect everything else."

When they enter their apartment Izuku is nearly tackled off the ground by his exuberant Neighbors. Chrys, Iris, and Wisteria immediately settle in his hair and Sara the Salamander begs to be lifted into his arms, whining incessantly. He complies, nuzzling into her as she coos. The two Cotton Flies glide in circles around him, bumping into his legs and overall happy that he's back.

"Quite the band of Neighbors you've got here, Midoriya-kun."

His mom is trying hard not to stare, but her eyes keep looking at him, pointedly staring at his arms where it must be weird for him to be holding something she cannot see. As if he were cuddling the empty air.

"Yeah," says Izuku. "They're the best."

By the time his mother and he finish packing, the sun has bathed the sky in warm colors of late evening. His Neighbors are either on his person or in one of his bags, stubbornly refusing to just let him go. Izuku gives Hatori-san a what-can-you-do face at the antics of the Neighbors, to which she shrugs, clearly amused.

His mom is doing one last round in their apartment, silently saying her goodbyes to their memories.

"Are you ready?" Ainsworth-san asks, forming behind Hatori-san.

Izuku glances at his mom, who steels herself with a newfound resolve. Izuku nods.

"We are."

Ainsworth-san starts to chant. "_Nettles in the shadows...A wheel of hollies...Ten-folds and twenty-folds...Weaves the spider's thread of the nest to the branch._"

Long tendrils of briar start to sprout and swirl around them. Then, they're simply gone.

Off towards the next great adventure.


	2. Sweet dreams, little merlin

It's a bit disconcerting arriving in England while the sun is at its highest. It bears down on them as the briars unweave and disperse, leaving them standing on the yard in front of a homey tan-bricked house. There's ivy covering a good portion of the walls, and Izuku can't help but feel at peace. His mom's white-knuckled grip on him loosens enough for Izuku to take a step-forward in awe. He spins on the balls of his feet, giggling in delight as his Neighbors fly and hover around him, sharing his glee. He could feel a flow of energy so unlike the one of Musutafu, like a low hum of a song he's always known but never fully _heard_.

Vaguely, Izuku hears Hatori-san say, "welcome home," and Ainsworth-san's quick, "excuse me," but, to begin with, he's not paying much attention. Sara the Salamander slinks off into the house when he's not paying attention; Bo and Peep, the Cotton Flies, shake themselves free from his bags and fly off towards the shade of the trees, but not before giving him a nuzzle, each, beneath his neck. Izuku giggles.

His mom is teary when he turns to her, and his face falls in worry. "Mom?"

"I—" she sniffs, wiping away her tears. "I haven't seen you this happy in a while, Izuku!"

"She's relieved," Iris whispers into his ear. "Go on, hug her."

So Izuku hugs his mom, trying to convey his gratitude and overflowing love he has for her. His mom's arms tighten around him, and she sniffs again before pulling free, a shaky smile stretching her lips. "You're my world, Izuku, never forget that."

Izuku can only hiccup in response, too choked up to respond.

Hatori-san gently guides them into the house. Izuku wipes his remaining tears away, furiously scrubbing at his face. The feeling of maternal love from his mom just a minute or two back made his resolve to live to strengthen. He didn't want to die prematurely on her, nor did he want her to wallow in grief about the death of her only son.

_Especially since his father— _

Izuku locks those thoughts away for now.

The foyer of the house is nice and spacious, and there are various pictures hanging on the walls. Hatori-san gestures for them to follow her up the stairs, and they do so after briefly shrugging off their respective shoes. Izuku and his mom are guided towards the end of the hall, Hatori-san pointing out her and her husband's room, and the upstairs bathroom.

"This is where Midoriya-kun will be staying," Hatori-san says, twisting the knob on the door furthest from the stairs. "I figured I'd show you where he'd be staying before we showed you where you'll sleep, Midoriya-san."

"Thank you, dear," his mom says, "and please, call me Inko."

Hatori-san bows her head. "If only you call me Chise," she then turns to Izuku, "that goes to you, as well."

Izuku flusters, sputtering before the calming weight of his Ariel Neighbors settle in his hair and shoulders.

"He's too socially inept," Iris teases from his shoulder, patting his cheek.

"Uh—"

"That's Izuku speech for, '_I accept, please call me by my given name, as well.'_" Wisteria says mischievously from Izuku's hair.

"_Hey —!_"

"Please take care of us!" Chrys imitates Izuku's voice, before falling into a fit of giggles.

"I can talk, you know?" he grouches, earning a weird look from his mom, but he then smiles. "But, they're right. Call me Izuku, Hatori-san, I mean, Chise-san."

The woman smiles and tilts her head towards the bedroom. Izuku nods and enters, his mom hovering behind him as he takes it all in. It's a cozy room, with a single-sized bed pushed against the right wall by the window. The bed itself has fluffy comforters and pillows that make Izuku want to jump and throw himself onto, but he holds himself back. Instead, he throws his traveling bag on it. There's a desk, as well, alongside some shelves set up, and the overall atmosphere of the room makes Izuku buzz with excitement. It's cozy and homey, and it makes Izuku feel every bit alive and not as if he's experiencing life by its' bare, spindly threads.

He can't wait to slowly decorate this room into his own. Because, this—

— this is his new _home_. His Neighbors quietly echo his thoughts, tittering cheerfully as they open the window and fly outside, sparkles following them out.

Chrys comes back in, quickly, and kisses his cheek. "We'll be back by dusk," he promises, "just gotta straighten things out with the other Neighbors in this area, alright, Midori-chan?"

"See you around, then." Izuku ignores the nickname and watches as he flies off, catching up to the others, before Izuku falls back onto the bed with a happy sigh. His mom peers out the window, perhaps trying to piece together the one-sided conversation she heard alongside the sudden strange gust of wind inside, but then the inquisitive look on her face vanishes as she simply sighs and shakes her head with a wry quirk of her lips.

"This used to be my old room, back when I first moved here," says Chise-san, leaning against the doorframe. There's a nostalgic look in her eyes as she takes in her surroundings with a soft expression. "And now it's yours."

"It's perfect," he breathes out, relishing on the bed with the soft spring breeze coming in. He closes his eyes, inhaling deeply, before pushing himself upright and opening his eyes to meet Chise-san's own green set. "Thank you." He bows from his position on the bed. "For taking care of us."

His mom ruffles his hair, and he squawks, causing both women to laugh.

"Inko," his mom snaps her attention towards Chise-san. "Let's get you settled in your own room, we'll be serving dinner a little earlier tonight, at five, so that you may rest."

His mom nods in understanding and follows Chise-san out, but not before pressing a quick kiss to his temple.

Izuku falls back onto the bed, relishing in the feeling of the soft comforters and spring breeze wafting into his bedroom. His eyes trail the shapes of clouds passing by, and then he sits upright and leans out the window, holding back his hysterical giggle.

Because whizzing by window back and forth are Bo and Peep, with Sara clinging onto Bo. They appear to be having fun, if Sara's loud coos are anything to go by. Bo and Peep bleat excitedly, and Izuku watches them for some time with his chin propped up by his hand, allowing himself to breathe in deeply and enjoy the peacefulness of (what he'd been told is) the English countryside. His eyes slide closed, and he flops back down on the bed, exhaling softly.

This is his life now, and he can't begin to feel bothered by the turn of events. Not when it'll help him in the long run, and neither will he feel bad for trusting Chise-san and her husband, not when they have already gone out of their way to help him and his mom. He's not sure what Chise-san told his mom back in the hospital, nor why his mom took the word of a complete (but genuine) stranger to heart, but he has his suspicions that his mom already suspected something otherworldly happening around Izuku, because, well, he wasn't exactly _subtle _about his friendly Neighbors, nor did he ever lie to her about it. He only allowed it for her to interpret it as she seemed fit, and didn't mention his Neighbors as often as he grew older.

Especially after he had been told he had no quirk. With proof, no matter how much he had vehemently denied it, that stated on legal and official papers that he'd be classified as quirkless.

How could you explain the unnatural (but fantastical) occurrences without the excuse of a quirk underhand?

Suddenly, something heavy flops on his chest, and Izuku wheezes in a breath, startled from his brief blip of sleep. The thing has stubby little legs that Izuku immediately recognizes as Sara's, and they're digging into his stomach and ribs. He peeks his eyes open to see her wide pink face and her mouth opening in a gummy smile. This is her cutesy, mischievous smile that sets Izuku on edge. He knows what she's about to do, he knows she'll lick his face and slobber his face up, as she tends to do when he's lying down.

"Sara, _don't you dare!_"

She does it anyways.

He gently bats her away, but he's always rebuffed by more and more licking until she stops and yawns. She curls into herself and slides off his chest, onto the soft comforter.

"Un-be-_lievable_." He pokes her back, "You, missy, are an absolute _riot_."

She merely yawns again and curls further into herself.

He stands and heads towards where he believes the bathroom is, knocking on the door just to be sure. He's quite proud when he opens the door and the site of a bathroom greets him. He sets about his business and washes his face, using a spare towel (after some contemplation) to dry off.

He's smiling into the mirror when he sees his own face as it contorts into something unpleasant, and he hacks and hacks until blood splatters the sink. It's not one of his worst episodes, he decides after he's no longer choking up his own blood. It is a rather mild one, and how sad is that to think of?

There's a soft knock on the door, and his mom's worried face peers in after he croaks out a "_come in!" _

He allows her to wipe the dribbling blood from his lips with the used towel when she kneels beside him. She bites at her lips, and her lips twists as if she's swallowed something particularly sour. He doesn't blame her. He looks like a mess. Feels like one, too. His stomach feels thick with abdominal tension, and his lungs are screaming at him.

"Oh, honey," his mom dumps the bloodied towel in an equally bloodied sink. "Let's get you to bed."

Izuku stubbornly shakes his head.

She purses his lips.

"I'm hungry," he insists, "I'll go to bed afterwards, I swear."

"Dinner won't be ready for another half an hour," she tells him.

Izuku nods, "That's fine."

After about a minute or two of silent contemplation, his mom helps him to his feet, and he does his best to avoid the mess that is the sink as they walk past it. She guides him to his bed, and sits him down.

"I'm going to let someone know about the bathroom sink," she tells him, and his face twists in a grimace. "I know, I know sweetheart."

She's back before he knows it, letting him know everything would be taken care of.

"Tell me about our Neighbors," she requests after they both settle down on his bed, with her leaning her back against the wall and him laying his head on her thigh. She threads her fingers through his hair, humming a tune. "What are they like?"

Izuku smiles brightly when she says 'our' instead of 'your' Neighbors, and so, he tells her.

He allows himself to get lost in the telling of their shenanigans. How, when he first met Wisteria, Iris, and Chrys, that they sang lullabies to him to help him sleep. Of how they taught him the rule of equal exchange by bringing him flowers to weave into his hair, only asking for honey in exchange.

"So, when you said the honey was for our neighbors, you really meant them?"

"I never lied to you," he confesses, but then he averts his eyes, "only omitted the truth as I grew older."

"Oh, Izuku," she sighs, before she smiles and runs the pads of her fingers across his cheek and the bridge of his nose. "Continue."

Izuku smiles and does so. He goes on about how Sara just latched onto him one day during first grade and how the pink salamander refused to let go, no matter how many times he brought her back to the forest until Izuku resigned himself to her. He talks about Sara's mischievous nature, of how, just earlier that day, she'd been riding on Bo with Peep hovering nearby.

"Bo and Peep?" his mom questions.

"They're Cotton Fly," Izuku yawns, "imagine small sheep with three pairs of dragonfly-esque wings, and they can fly, of course."

"Of course," his mom parrots his same tone of voice.

They keep talking until Chise-san knocks on the doorframe, letting them know that dinner will he served shortly. She hesitates, exchanging a worried glance with his mom, before she says, "After dinner, I have something for you."

Izuku perks up, "Really?"

"Yes," she says, approaching the duo and holds out a hand to Izuku. "Now, up you go, dinner is to be served. Unfortunately, Elias won't attend dinner. He's still resting."

Dinner is a pleasant affair, and he gets to formally meet Ruth-san, Chise-san's familiar and friend, alongside Silver Lady, who Chise-san calls Silky. Ruth-san himself is a tall man with chin-length wavy hair. Silky is a sort of delicate looking beauty, with an old-styled soft pink dress, bonnet and shawl. The blonde takes one look at Izuku and immediately coddles him, serving him first and hugging him whenever she has the chance.

Chise-san laughs softly during dinner when Izuku asked her what he'd done to deserve such attention. "That's Silky to you," she says , before sobering up. "She did the same to me, and now, especially after she heard and saw about your condition, she's going to make sure you're comfortable here."

… _saw?_

Then, it hits Izuku. The blood. She'd seen the _bloodied sink_.

He's mortified, but then arms wrap around his shoulders and squeeze him in reassurance.

Silky smiles at him when he looks up at her, and Ruth-san says. "She's assuring you that you shouldn't be ashamed." Silky nods her agreement.

They go back to eating their delicious chicken dinner after that.

He hugs Silky and thanks her for the meal after dinner is done and over with, and she hugs him back before waving him off from the kitchen with a smile.

His mom and he exchange their goodnights, even if it's weird with the sun still up and about, with his mom making him promise to wake her up if he even feels remotely bad while they're resting.

"I'm just down the hall," she says. "I mean it, Izuku, wake me up if you feel bad."

Izuku promises to do so, and she kisses his cheek before he heads upstairs. Ruth-san's trudges up the stairs with him in his Grimm form, side-eyeing him the whole way up.

"I'm not hurt nor am I invalid," Izuku says wryly.

_« That would be more convincing if you weren't so similar to Chise, » _Ruth-san says. _« The both of you, too stubborn for your own good. » _

"I'm better than I was centuries ago," rebuffs Chise-san as she walks out of her own room, a large teddy bear in her arms.

_« No, you're not, »_ Ruth-san says immediately.

Chise-san shushes him, before she turns to Izuku and hands him the bear. "This is Ollie, he was a gift from Elias to me, and now I'm giving him to you."

Izuku tenderly takes the bear, holding it to his chest and looks at her inquisitively. "Are you sure I should have him, then?"

Chise-san grins, "Never been more sure in my life. Ollie will serve you well."

The question Izuku doesn't know how to word must be palpable, because she answers it without it having to be vocalized. "Ollie siphons the excess magic in you, and makes something out of it."

_What does it make_? Izuku wants to ask, but the light in her eyes let's him know she won't divulge that piece of information.

"Thank you," he says instead.

"You're welcome." Chise-san ruffles his hair and heads downstairs, Ruth-san right behind her. Izuku stares at Ollie, shaking the teddy bear some before he turns on his heel and walks down the hallway to his room. Izuku barely has half a mind to change into his pyjamas that he thankfully remembered to pack before he flops on his bed, mindfully of a still snoozing Sara; Bo and Peep come in from flying outside and plop themselves onto his bed. Their arrival reminds him of the open window and he closes it and drags the curtain across. Smiling, he settles down to sleep.

↞ « o » ↠

It's dark out when there's tapping on the window panes. He blearily drags the curtain across and opens the window to allow his Neighbors inside before he shuts it again and settles down.

"Okaeri."

"Tadaima, Midori-chan."


	3. All things have a rhyme and reason

When Izuku wakes, the sun hasn't even risen yet. His room is clad in the eerie shadowy darkness of dawn. Izuku wants to burrow deeper into his covers and sleep on, if only because he feels as if he should still be doing so, but there is no lead weighing his eyelids down, nor is his mind drowsy with sleep. He is, for all intents and purposes, wide awake. He groans and shifts, turning over to hug Ollie the Teddy Bear, but something feels odd with Ollie. It feels almost… prickly and stiff, akin to crystals.

Izuku opens his eyes, though he can't see much, it only takes a few seconds for his eyes to adjust. He can make out small protrusions, glistening in the remnant moonlight and barest of sunlight, like some type of flower growing from the large teddy bear.

"_Wah— ?" _Izuku blinks several times, rubbing his eyes with the heel of his hand. Nope. It's still there. He scrambles backward and promptly falls off the bed in a tangled heap. "_GAH!_"

"Izuku?"

"Midori-chan!"

"_Oorru?"_

He clicks his tongue as he struggles to disentangle himself. "I'm fine, just startled."

He flicks the light on once he can make it to the light-switch and narrows his eyes at the sight on his bed. Growing on the bear as if it were natural are flowery crystals, and they glisten delicately in the light. The flowers themselves are growing on the top of Ollie's head, the entirety of his right side, and there are some buds in half-bloom on the teddy bear's left shoulder.

"What is this?" Izuku muses aloud, picking at one of the blossoms. He offers one to Chrys, who's closest to him, and plucks two more blossoms for Iris and Wisteria when they throw a jealous glare at Chrys and crowd around him. He knows how spiteful his Ariel Neighbors can be, has seen it firsthand, and he'd rather not see it happen nor think about it. He rolls his eyes when Sara whines and nudges his hand expectantly, and hands her one as well. Bo and Peep eye him, inching their way slowly across the bed towards him and Ollie.

"Get over here, you two," and they do. They quickly scurry their way towards him and gently take a blossom each between their teeth.

"_Ollie siphons the excess magic in you, and makes something out of it."_

"Huh," Izuku turns to face his more vocal Neighbors, "is this my magic?"

"Yeah~" Iris sighs rather dreamily as she stares at the crystal (apparently _magical_) flower. "It's very lovely, Izuku."

Wisteria nods furiously, "We're keeping these." Izuku notes it's a statement, not a request. He exhales a small laugh at that.

"I don't mind you all keeping these," he says, and then turbulent thoughts of strange unknown Neighbors getting their grubby hands on his manifested magic pop into his mind. He shudders, "Just, don't leave the room with the flowers."

He turns to address Sara, Bo, and Peep and stops at the sight of them chewing on their respective flowers. Sara burps in satisfaction.

"Guess that solves that." Two more burps.

He gets his outfit ready for the day, making sure to muffle his steps as best as he's able to as he pads to and from the bathroom to do his business and wash. The shower is refreshing and everything Izuku needs, allowing for him to wash off the dirty feeling he's had ever since his episode yesterday. When he's back in his room, with his hair still dripping, his Ariel Neighbors take it upon themselves to use their magic to dry off his hair with a gust of wind, making it stick every which way.

Iris hands him his hairbrush and looks at him expectantly. Izuku blows a teasing raspberry and sets to work, untangling and smoothing out knots in his hair. He watches as Chrys and Wisteria work together, making a new flower crown for the day. It's a pretty white flower with either five or more petals (or is it petal-like sepals? Izuku isn't sure) and various stamens.

"What flower is that?" he asks them, curiosity boiling over the brim.

"Windflower is our favorite name for it, but you can also call it a wood anemone, thimbleweed, or smell fox," Wisteria explains, as per usual. She then tacks on, "Never eat it though, it's poisonous, especially the root, it's an irritant."

"It also has a musky smell to it, usually," Iris adds, "but we took care of that."

Chrys hums as he diligently works on the flower crown.

Izuku glances at Ollie the Teddy Bear, and then at the sprouts growing from it. They look familiar as if Izuku has seen that flower before, but he can't think of _where _he remembers it from. It's on the tip of his tongue, there but not quite. "What about the flowers from Ollie? I can't remember what they are."

"Sakura blossoms," all three speak in tandem with a dreamy sigh.

"I think it fits Midori-chan," Chrys says, plopping the flower crown on Izuku's head. He can smell that musky odor Iris had remarked about, though it's faint. "They do represent a pure and gentle heart in hanakotoba."

Wisteria nods when he turns to look at her questioningly. "Beautiful, pure and gentle. Just like our Midori-chan."

Izuku is about to duck his head in embarrassment when Peep headbutts him. Sara's, "_Oorru!" _and Bo's own bleat make him blink. Even though they aren't able to vocalize their thoughts, that doesn't mean they aren't creative in getting their point across.

And Izuku is pretty certain they just told him to not be embarrassed and to keep his chin up, in their own loving way. Which apparently includes _headbutting _as the answer.

Iris straightens the flower crown in his hair. "As they said, Izuku, chin up and look forward. Don't be bashful."

He murmurs lowly. "_I'll try." _

Chrys kisses his cheek. "That's our boy."

The sun has risen considerably by the time Izuku stops meandering around in his room. He fiddles with his flower crown until Iris kicks his knuckles and hisses, "_Stop touching it! It's an irritant!"_

He doesn't want to question why they'd even make him a flower crown out of an irritant plant. He can, however, admit that it is lovely. So, he stops fiddling with the crown and instead rubs his smarting knuckles. He's making his way downstairs when a question pops into existence, and he turns to face his Neighbors, just in time to dodge Bo, Peep, and Sara, with the Salamander riding Bo once again. The action makes the question disappear entirely from his mind. Sara coos delightedly as they race back and forth until Silky opens the front door and out they go.

Silky looks at him, deadpan, and all Izuku can do it shrug helplessly. What can he do? His Neighbors do what they want, when they please, as they please.

Silky guides him to the kitchen and gestures for him to sit, and it's not long after he does so that he's served a steaming cup of tea and a bowl of mixed berries.

Izuku sniffs the tea, beaming when he smells that it is lemongrass. Silky hugs him, gently squeezing him once before patting his head and setting to work around the kitchen. He takes his time drinking the tea, savoring the taste and aroma, sharing the smaller berries with his Ariel Neighbors. They chat animatedly and, when people start to trickle in, Izuku stands to greet Chise-san and Ruth-san. Chise laughs softly and pats his shoulder.

"Sit," she says, and so he does.

Ruth-san leans towards him and sniffs his head, raising an inquisitive brow. "Wood anemone?"

Izuku nods.

"Isn't that a skin irritant?"

"Yes," Izuku replies, straight-faced.

"Alright." He has to blink a few times at the lackluster response before he smiles grandly.

"That reminds me," Izuku turns to face the red-haired magi after a few minutes. "Ollie, well, he manifested my magic into crystal flowers. He's supposed to do that, right?"

"Yes," Chise-san says, calmly sipping her own tea. "As I said last night, he siphons your excess magic and forms it into something." Here, she smiles slyly. "A good surprise, was it not?"

Izuku laughs, and that's an answer enough.

Izuku's mom kisses the crown of his head when she enters, carefully avoiding the flowers, and then she sits beside him. Silky is quick to serve more tea, bread, and berries.

"Is Elias-san okay?" asks his mom, buttering a slice of bread. "I haven't seen him since we arrived."

"He's fine," Chise-san answers. "A little exhausted, but fine. He's replenishing his energy after the big jump yesterday."

"Did magicking us here take a lot out of him?" Izuku asks, curious. Magic must have a drawback, and having to cover that much distance in a span of a short minute must certainly have its downside. The amount of energy needed to do so has to be outstanding, let alone perhaps improbable for a human. But it's doable, that's for sure.

"Not as much if he didn't have you and I with him, but yes, it's exhausting."

"I see," mummers his mom. "Right, Izuku; Chise and Ruth will take you into the city today, so make sure you're dressed appropriately."

Izuku turns to her questioningly but all she directs at him, in turn, is a serene smile.

Breakfast wraps up a little while later with Silky placing a set of folded clothes onto his arms and ushering him upstairs to change. As he's heading down the hallway he stops by the magi's bedroom door for a second or two, wondering if Ainsworth-san was okay and if he should check up on the skeletal mage, before shaking his head and continuing down the hallway. Ainsworth-san is only resting and, what Izuku can assume as, restoring his depleted magical energy.

So, minding his own business (for once, _shocking_) Izuku gets ready for the day with the new set of clothes Silky had gifted him.

↞o-o↠

It only takes a forty-five minutes train ride to arrive at King's Cross Station in London, and Izuku is brimming with exuberance coupled with nerves. It all makes for a rather sickly feeling in his stomach that has Chise-san throwing concerned glances at him out of the corner of her eye. Midway through the train ride she settles a hand on his shoulder to still his relentless energy, before moving it up to his head to ruffle his hair, carefully avoiding the flower crown. Iris had taken the flower crown and weaved some purple windflowers into the crown before he left, warning against him touching the crown too often, and kissed the tip of his nose as Wisteria settled on Izuku's head. Chrys and Iris would stay behind to keep an eye on his mom while Wisteria would accompany him, Chise-san and Ruth-san into the heart of the city.

Ruth-san, on Izuku's other side, settles a large hand on the back of his neck and rubs soothing circles with the pads of his thumb. Chise-san takes Izuku's hand in her's and settles it in between them. It's a grounding presence, and slowly, but surely, it makes Izuku's tense form relax and his stomach unknot itself.

"Better?" Ruth-san asks, and Izuku nods his head in affirmation, rubbing the edges of the grey cashmere sweater Silky gave him. His mom made him take a rather large yellow wool coat that was comfortable, and he's rather glad she made him take it before he headed out, that with the cold spurt currently settled in England.

"Thank you," he says after a beat. Ruth-san squeezes his neck in answer and Chise-san does the same with his hand. Wisteria hums a small tune from within his hair.

Chise-san and Ruth-san take him out to sightsee at first after they arrive at King's Cross. The unfamiliar lettering on signs and shops throw him off at first, but he learns to ignore it along with the constant babble of English in the air. In a way it's rather exhilarating and, well, Izuku wishes he could have shared this experience with his mom.

Chise-san, accompanied by Wisteria, goes to buy them hot chocolate while Izuku and Ruth-san are in a bookshop, per Izuku's request. Izuku ends up just wandering around, scouring for any Japanese literature, but turns up empty handed by the end. Ruth-san hands him a relatively average-sized book, with a dark grey cloth covering. In the center there's a small red square, with the simple drawing of a tree with some leaves adorning its branches within it. There's bold, weirdly-shaped lettering for the title, and all Izuku can make out is the word "_kill" _and "_bird"_. Izuku stares at the Grimm, a bit skeptical.

"The title translates as '_To Kill a Mockingbird.' _I thought it'd be a good idea to use this to help you along with your studies English."

"Right," Izuku says, holding the book close to his chest. A gleam shines in his eyes, and determination makes his heart beat. Izuku is now dead-set on mastering English, and nothing will get in his way from achieving that. Ruth-san nods, satisfied, and they meet up with Chise-san and Wisteria after paying for the book.

Izuku is confused when they enter another bookshop soon after, but then Chise-san guides him towards the backroom and knocks on the door. They wait for a few beats before the door squeaks open, revealing a young woman, perhaps in her mid-to-late twenties, with dark brown hair and eyes, who doesn't hesitate to throw her arms over Chise-san's shoulders and squeeze tightly. They exchange pleasantries back and forth in English, with Ruth-san chiming in a few times, before the woman turns to Izuku and, in fluid Japanese, asks for his name.

He blinks, astounded, but then Wisteria pulls at his ear and his face burns. He quickly rectifies his mistake and says, "Midoriya Izuku," and bows in greeting.

The woman grins, turning to Chise-san once Izuku straightens up with his face still lit aflame. "I like him."

"Izukkun, this is Althea Barley, an artificer and a mage. She'll be helping us today to equip you with some magical essentials."

Izuku nods, and they're ushered inside the backroom. It's a spacious room, with various crystals in boxes and half-finished projects laying around. There are colorful bubbling liquids in glassware on the shelves. Izuku peers around, edging closer to the crystals to get a better look. They thrum with untapped energy, calling and reaching out to expand, to be used, and Izuku's own magic hums beneath his skin and at the tips of his fingers.

Chise and Althea talk back and forth, with the dark-haired woman writing things down on a handheld notebook. Ruth-san is laying on the floor in his Grimm form, having apparently transformed while Izuku was not looking, and overall keeping a keen eye on their surroundings. Izuku turns back towards the shimmering gemstones, trying to identify some of them. He looks at the green gemstones mostly, they remind him of his family.

"Well, what do we have here?"

Izuku yelps, whirring around and accidentally brushing his fingers across a rogue green stone. He's met with the widening eyes of an older woman who shares the same features as Althea and an aquatic-looking Neighbor hovering beside her. The older woman opens her mouth as fear enters her eyes and she reaches out, for what, Izuku isn't sure. That is until he hears it: a cracking sound.

Izuku is yanked away from where he was standing by a breathless Ruth-san, held against his chest protectively. Izuku can hear the strong staccato of a heartbeat against his ear, and can feel his own heart beating rapidly from within his chest. His shoulders and hands shake from the scare, and he can't help but feel strangely tired, as if all his energy had been zapped out. He leans heavily into Ruth-san's protective embrace, breathing in deeply with his eyes growing heavy.

His magic, which had been coursing relentlessly beneath his skin, itching to be let out, is subdued. It's as if it were satisfied, and Izuku has no idea why until he turns his head and peers with lidded eyes at the spot where he'd been standing previously. Because on the table, in place of all the gemstones, stands a rather large green statue of an eastern dragon breathing fire up into the air.

And for reasons unknown the sight makes Izuku's heart wail.


	4. Of youthful expectations

It takes around a week or so for the commissioned items from the artificer to arrive. During that time, for a day or two, Izuku had been subdued. His mom fretted, of course, hovering nearby until Izuku broke out of his stupor and asked Chise-san and his mom if he could help tend the garden. Overjoyed, the two women readily agreed. Chise-san showed him the basics of gardening while his mom worked on filling out the legal paperwork to be a permanent resident of the United Kingdom, as per request by Ainsworth-san the day prior when he'd finally awoke.

While Izuku's beyond thankful for their hospitality, and feeling more like family each and every day, Ainsworth-san is a bit difficult to read and, in turn, makes Izuku weary of him. If only for the reason that he can't read into facial expressions (for Ainsworth-san has none as far as he is concerned) to decipher their mild and brief interactions. However, that thought is quickly wiped away when he steadily sees the love and affection shared between Chise-san and her husband.

So, Izuku tries to interact with Ainsworth-san, and throughout the week he sees himself bonding with the mage. Ainsworth-san gives him the go-ahead to call him Elias, and despite his best efforts it ends up sounding more along the lines of "_Eriasu"_ but the mage doesn't seem to mind. Instead, it seems as if he enjoys it, if the crinkling lights of his eyes were anything to go by. Chise-san had pointed out how the lights in Elias-san eyes were the more expressive part of his skeletal face, alongside the movement of his jaw.

Slowly, as the days crept by, Izuku started to see more and more of Elias-san's expressions with a little help from Chise-san. He sees the light in Elias-san's eyes grow sharp when he's amused, crinkling alongside the edges. The lights grow foggy when he's tiring, and they're soft when interacting with his wife. When he's interacting with Izuku his eyes are sharp, glowing like small embers, and it takes Izuku by surprise how accommodating and patient the mage is. It is so unlike what Izuku is used to being treated as, for most of his childhood consisted of a friend-not-friend treating him as low as dirt, with little to no patience and a short temper. Kacchan was a force to be reckoned with, and Izuku still feels the vestiges of hurt feelings and broken promises lingering when he thinks of his childhood friend. Of what could have been and so-on.

The day the commissioned items arrive have both families congregating together in the living room. His Ariel Neighbors nestle themselves in his hair, having already braided buttercups into his hair; Sara sits on his lap as he absentmindedly rubs her stomach. She coos in contentedness.

His mom stares at the magi, a queer look on her face, but she stays silent until Elias-san speaks up first.

"The items we requested from the Barley family arrived today. Izuku,"

Izuku looks at him, firm in his stance and giving a slight nod to let him know he's paying attention. Elias-san's jaw imperceptibly moves, and Izuku can only fathom what that means, and finally the mage nods back. Chise-san stands and presents to him a rather large box, and with a squeeze of reassurance on his shoulder from his mom, Izuku slowly moves Sara to the floor, despite her soft protests, and grabs the box. It's wrapped in a smooth, royal blue silk and tied off with long, thin cord of black leather. Upon closer inspection the leather has runes inscribed on it, and Izuku can feel the soft murmur of magic coming from it.

Deciding he has dawdled long enough, Izuku unties the leather cord and sets it on the armrest of the couch. He unravels the silk and lets it fall across his lap like a blanket, and Izuku blinks, because _woah_, the magic in the cloth murmurs reassuringly just as the leather cord, but this is more _health_ and _harmony _than anything else. It takes his breath away.

"Izukkun," Chise-san says, breaking him from his reverie. "Are you sensitive to magic?"

"Ah?" he says unintelligently before shaking his head, "I don't think so? I mean, I kinda figured everyone could feel magic in some form or another." He says honestly.

"Sensing magic," starts Elias-san, saying it in his low timber, "is nothing to scoff at. Yes, some can sense it, but it's only mild. You seem to be able to sense it _and _understand it, am I correct?"

Izuku nods. "Yeah, like the leather cord and silk both mummer about protection while the silk delves deeper and offers health and harmony. Can you guys really not hear it?"

"I see what you say about the protection aspect of it," Chise-san pipes up, a look of deep concentration on her face, "and vaguely I can pick up what you mean by health and harmony from the silk, but I wouldn't have picked that out had you not pointed it out."

Elias-san crosses his arms and looks at Izuku, his eyes sharp in an edge that isn't amusement but rather in attentiveness, "I can only sense what I have learned throughout the years, but it's more so knowing there is magic, be it malignant or not, than knowing what type of magic there is. It has been said Sleigh Beggys are particularly sensitive to magic, but even then there has been no recollection of understanding magic on the level you seem to display."

"He's always been perceptive as a younger kid, I wonder if this is why," his mom muses.

"It may very well be so," says Elias-san. "We'll continue this tangent on a later date, Izuku, you may find it to your best interests to continue unboxing."

Izuku hums and does as he's told, sliding the lid of the wooden box off. He can hear the soft stroke of magic from the wooden box ("_Oak," Iris had whispered in his ear_) that offers prosperity and strength. Izuku takes a deep breath, grabbing the small cloth bag in the corner of the box and pulls out a jade stone that looks like half of the yin and yang symbol, or even a comma, with a hole in the thickest area.

"A magatama?" his mom says softly to herself, sounding a bit confused.

"Is that what this is?" Izuku asks, before tilting his head. "What is a magatama, anyways?"

"There's a whole story behind it and we can get back to that on a later date; but it is said that the magatama protects one's health, gets rid of any calamities in the body and repels evil spirits from the person wearing it." Chise-san says.

Izuku bobs his head in lieu of responding, and looks between the odd-shaped stone and the leather cord, before coming to a nice conclusion. The magi look at him carefully as he slips the cord through the magatama before asking his mom to tie it around his neck. His mom, after looking at the magi questioningly, does as she's asked and carefully ties the cord at the back.

Izuku feels at ease, and though he cannot currently feel so, the ache in his lungs will disappear throughout the week. He can't help but wonder if this does indeed repel evil spirits, and thus, ill-wanting Neighbors; if so, this would have been a nice a few years back with the influx of Neighbors in Musutafu vying for his magic.

He then proceeds to dig into the box some more, wanting to know what other magical items he acquired. He slips on a silver ring, and pulls out a prettily crafted athame. There's, what Chise-san calls, a _sage smudge_, and rune stones made out of aventurine. A chalice, a cast iron cauldron and a blank brown leather journal labeled "Grimoire." There's also a small, hand-held besom and bell. A robe, a handful of different crystals in a cotton bag, a rose quartz pendulum, a stone mortar and pestle, and so on with need-on-basis magical tools. Chise-san and her husband would explain each item and what they were used for, what they were made of and what that meant. They explained how he himself must make his own wand on a later date. Izuku had nodded in understanding.

They eat lunch after the unboxing, with Izuku not once feeling the need to cough his innards out, which is a huge improvement for him, if he does say so himself. He enjoys the steak and mashed potatoes, while also passing some of his lettuce from his salad to Sara, Bo and Peep, who happily munch on it. Ruth-san talks about some of Chise-san's adventures when she was just shy of sixteen. Chise-san herself rebukes him, but then Elias-san adds a playful quip and Silky silently nods, and the red-haired woman silently acquiesced to Ruth's retelling of her adventures.

All in all it's quite silly and pleasant.

After lunch they head back towards the living room, where the adults sit him down and talk about future plans: i.e. his studies.

"We're all come to an agreement that you'll be homeschooled until September arrives," Elias-san says. "We're hoping that by then your English will be good enough both comprehensively and vernacularly."

"I'll study English alongside you," says his mom with a smile, "seeing as I'll need to know it as well."

"We expect for you to keep up with both your studies, be it magical or not, do you understand?" Chise-san says firmly. "A well rounded person is someone who'll surpass and not stagnate."

Izuku, more determined now than ever, nods sharply. Because that makes sense, he can't just drop his studies, he needs a future to look forward to. He can't stagnate, for how will he learn to live life to the fullest if he were to do so?

A hand lands on his hair, which thankfully is uninhabited from his Ariel Neighbors who'd gone out to look and stake out the other nearby Neighbors. Izuku looks up to see Ruth-san, who smiles at him. "You'll do good, kid."

Elias-san stands abruptly and gestures towards his mom. "Come, we need to finalize your paperwork."

"Yes, of course," she says and follows him out of the living room, but not before plopping a kiss on Izuku's brow.

Chise-san, Ruth-san and he talked for a bit, about magic and gardening or something along those lines, or even what it's like to be a familiar on Ruth-san's part, before Chise-san asks him what he's sure has been bothering her for a while.

"Izukkun," she falters for a bit, and Izuku allows for her to gather her thoughts. He can only guess what this conversation will lean towards, seeing as they are both Sleigh Beggys and their situations were perhaps not all that different from one another. "Your Neighbors, were they always so—?

"Friendly?" he asks, interrupting her without meaning to.

"I was going to say affectionate," she quirks her lips in a brief smile. "But I guess friendly works as well."

Izuku dwells on her question, before shaking his head. "They've always been friendly with me, but they didn't use to be so affectionate, it started with—"

↞o-o↠

_Years ago…_

When Izuku turned three, he _Saw _them. They're brightly colored, with feathers and pointed years and large doe eyes. They always looked at him through their window when he's nestled comfortably in his mom's arms at night. Izuku would wave at them and start to giggle when they waved back and made silly faces at him. His mom would stir, mumble something under her breath before succumbing back to deep sleep.

This would happen a few more times, and sometime during that time a pair of flying sheep-look alikes came, slipping through the closing door one late evening and eventually just staying. The pair helped Izuku keep warm at night alongside his mom, allowing Izuku to comb his fingers through their fluffy white hair. They would bleat at him reassuringly during the night, and they accompanied him during his first day of preschool. He was excited to introduce them, who he named Bo and Peep, to Kacchan, seeing as his mom would always coo about his imaginary friends and act as if they weren't there. They were! They were there!

But his enthusiasm fell short when he realized that Kacchan's eyes slid right past his friends to land on him. Though it was all forgotten when Kacchan broke out into a smile and they played together as Heroes saving the day from imaginary villains for the rest of the day whenever they had the chance.

One afternoon, when his mom tearfully gave him his own room, Izuku opened the window for the silly looking feathery faeries that always made faces at him. They cooed at him, dancing above his head and singing lullabies of a far away place called Tír na NÓg. They sung of grand adventures, of magic and the fae Queen, Titania and her husband Oberon. It made Izuku want to experience it for himself, so he tried to clamber out his window ledge and onto the fire escape. The feathery fae encouraged him the whole while, telling him the greatness of magic and how beautiful Tír na NÓg was, but before he could clamber onto the escape his mom's voice called out to him, telling him it was time for dinner.

The fog cleared from his eyes long enough for him to fall back into his new room and bed before he expressed his thanks to the hovering fae, for telling him the nice story and singing to him. He was a polite boy, and that was what you ought to do when someone does something for you. Of course, he was also naïve and didn't see the deception for what it was. He didn't see their faces turn ugly as left his room, and didn't see their mien turn cunningly. For the fae were greedy creatures, and they got what they wanted eventually.

They had claimed the boy, that Sleigh Beggy, as their own.

And so, each morning they taught the boy about equal exchange as they wished for honey, and in turn they weaved flowers into his green — _like a healthy pasture, or even a radiant forest _— hair. They tried each night without fail to lull him into a trance-like the first evening, but each time Izuku would smile benevolently and ask them if they could show him how to weave flowers into a crown. They would do so and ask for warm milk and honey in return. For the request wasn't big enough to ask him to follow them into the woods and back to their homeland. Of the seven Ariels, it had dwindled down to three, for the others did not hold the patience of Wisteria, Iris and Chrys.

Chrys soon realized that he became attached to the young child, and so he raged when his charge's friend slowly turned against the green haired boy. The young boy sobbed into his pillow many nights, and Chrys would sit near his ear and sing lullabies long since forgotten.

Iris realized she cared for the boy when violent Neighbors had physically attacked and harmed the young boy, and she had to step in to stop them. She may be small, but her control over winds had helped in the matter.

Wisteria realized she was fond of the boy when he sought her tutelage. He was always eager to know whatever she knew, and always soaking it up like a sponge when she told him what she knew, which was quite a bit of knowledge.

They never realized they stop caring when he'd come to Tír na NÓg with them, and started caring for the boy itself.

So, once they came to that conclusion, they swore a vow between the three of them to care and nurture the young child, that their attempts of bringing him to Tír na NÓg would be secondary to his health.

They called the young boy Midori-chan and made sure to guide him with good intentions, shoving their greed at the back of their minds. He offered his own magic in return, even if he never realized what he was doing consciously. It kept them, Bo and Peep, and the newly acquired Sara in good health, it made them reek of his pure magic and protection, of his love and devotion, that drew many bitter and jealous stares in their direction. That wasn't to say that Midori-chan didn't extend a loving hand to the Neighbors that deserved it, but he never extended that olive branch that the six of them had. It was a sweet little victory on their parts, especially to Wisteria, Iris and Chrys.

When Izuku was diagnosed quirkless, he was confused, for how could he see what he _Saw _when no one else could? But then whispers of magic and tales of old resurfaced in his mind and he found his answer. For Izuku may not have had a quirk, but he had something greater, he had _magic_. Though that didn't seem to help with his predisposition as he got small bouts of fever that had all his Neighbors in a frenzy each time.

"'S just a fever," he'd murmur reassuringly and would pat Sara who'd settled on his chest. When he'd get better eventually, his Ariel Neighbors would try to convince him to go to Tír na NÓg to get even better, to be cured, but he'd laugh it off and ask to go for a walk outside. And so they would, and Izuku would learn about the flora in the forest of Musutafu while walking with his mom, making sure to make his nods imperceptible so she wouldn't see them and worry about his health once again. She'd been hovering nearby ever since the doctor had diagnosed him as quirkless, worrying her lip and making sure he was happy and alright.

"I am happy," he'd say in a tone of voice as if it were obvious when she'd ask how he was.

"You tell me if you aren't, okay?"

"Okay," he'd promised.

And so two years have passed since he started conversing with his Neighbors and being protected from the more violent ones. Two years have passed since he gained a family other than his mom. Two years, and Izuku came to a conclusion.

"Izuku," the boy said one evening when he was five, "you may call me Izuku."


	5. Inko's Decision

Some could call her foolish for trusting a pair of questionable people while her son laid sick, and bedridden, in the hospital. Inko knew her dear friend Mitsuki would have smacked her right upside the head had she been there, yelling to and fro about being too trusting. But Inko understood more of the matter than she let on. So, she sat with the red-haired woman that had approached her with the too-dark-shadow, and listened attentively. Green eyes stared into mirrors of her own, and Inko saw the sincerity reflected in them; the absolute _want _to help, and the _understanding _of the situation at hand, and Inko allowed hope to well in her chest, blooming like a flower blossom in the middle of spring in her heart.

The red haired woman, Hatori, explained how she used to be like her son: sick and weak. She explains carefully how it can be treated with the right amount of care and patience, that it is a trial and error type of situation.

Inko nodded, understanding that the betterment of the body took time, but she was worried that they were out of time already, and that patience would get them nowhere seeing as her son was _coughing up blood_. Her heart pounded something awful, like the beat of a drum heralding death, and Inko could do little to stop it. It pounded and pounded, reverberating in her chest and up through her ears until it made it difficult to hear.

Hatori stopped talking long enough for Inko to gain her bearings. It was embarrassing to have a panic like that in front of people, but her son's life was balanced on a fine thread and one could not fault a mother in panicking at the thought of it.

"What do you think of magic?" Hatori asked.

Inko snapped her eyes open to stare at the woman. "Magic?"

Hatori smiled pleasantly. "Yes."

What did Inko think of magic? She thought back on the tales her granny Amaya told. Of fae and Neighbors, of mushroom rings and the rites of magic, the do's and dont's and faux-passes when dealing with their Neighbors. Inko had always thought of her granny as a bit fantastical with her stories as she grew older. But, deep within her, Inko had always thought of magic as real, with her just not having the Sight to See beyond what one usually saw. After having Izuku, she told those stories to him when he was just a baby cradled in her arms. Hisashi had looked at her, pleased for some odd reason and added bits of Japanese lore to her stories, but that was before he became absent in her and her son's life. Afterwards, Inko firmly refused to tell more tales, worried that her son would gain Hisashi's fantastical gleam in his eye as well and venture off into the unknown, just as his father.

But as Izuku grew older, with the ability to talk, came talk about Neighbors. Inko despaired, for how had he remembered all those stories from when he was young? And older and older he grew, and it became apparent he understood more than he let on. He grew quiet about the subject of Neighbors, often staring into space. However, the weaved flowers in his hair continued their stay there, so much so that people believed that to be his quirk.

And so Inko swallowed, "Magic is—" what was magic, anyways? "—I'm not sure."

"What do _you _think of magic?" Hatori repeated again.

Inko looked away, "Magic and its users, alongside Neighbors and the fae, have been present in my life in just stories. My wayward husband had always been more knowledgeable on the matter of Japanese lore, and sometimes I like to believe it was magic that took him and not him deciding he no longer wanted us." She choked out the last two words, covering her mouth with her hands as she bent over in her chair. Softly, she whispered to herself, "Would he have stayed? Had he been given the choice between magic and his family?"

Hatori looked on the verge of tears herself, but instead she offered Inko a handkerchief. As Inko wiped away her tears, Hatori softly said, "Sometimes the love of a wedded pair can take twists and turns. But if you are both strong, then your bond will deepen."

"I fear it's too late," Inko said in a hoarse kind of voice. "He's already been gone for so long."

"We can help you look for him, if you wish, but your son and his health is our priority."

"Yes, you're right," she said, "I think the past is best left in the past. Explain to me again how you'll help my son?"

Hatori did so.

↞ « o » ↠

"So you're saying magic is real? That it'll help my son?"

"Yes, Midoriya-san."

"I need a moment to collect my thoughts."

"Of course, just call my name and I'll be there."

↞ « o » ↠

Izuku smiled widely as she opened the door to his room, adorned in his hair was a crown made of the lavender she had brought him yesterday. His smile visibly fell when her eyes welled with tears and she rushed in to hug him.

"Mom?"

Inko sniffed. "Just give me a second of this, sweetheart."

Her son hugged her back. It took Inko a while before she was composed enough to ask her son the same question that Hatori had asked her.

"Izuku, what do you think of magic?"

↞ « o » ↠

Three words, that's all it took.

"_Dear to me."_

↞ « o » ↠

Everything happened fast, too fast; Inko had thought she would have had more time. She thought she would be able to gather her thoughts more, to erase the doctor's disapproving stares from her mind as she signed Izuku out from under their care and to pack her belongings for a long flight to England. But no, as soon as they arrived home they scurried out to pack their immediate belongings before their departure. She didn't have time to think about calling Mitsuki, and assure her that she and Izuku would be fine, before she was whisked away by magic to the countryside of England. If she had any doubts in her mind about magic being real, then they were wiped away that instant that they appeared in front of a stone home surrounded by nature.

She was a bit nervous, but her nerves calmed when she saw Izuku twirl in delight, giggling softly.

"Welcome home," Hatori said with a smile.

↞ « o » ↠

Inko and Izuku are back in Musutafu for a week to get their affairs in order. It's early June and so the sun shines merrily upon their arrival. Izuku hasn't had any more episodes since he started wearing the magatama and his silver ring back in May. There were a few close calls but nothing came out of it, just bouts of vertigo and nausea that made Izuku have to sit down. Inko didn't want to start counting her lucky stars just yet, but she was extremely grateful that her son was getting better. That she didn't have to see him spewing blood every so often, and that his face was no longer sallow and dull. Instead, he's gained color back to his face, and it's as vibrant as always. He's started mumbling to himself again, and now she more so wonders if he's talking to his Neighbors rather than just himself.

As the days wean on, their house starts to look more and more barren with all the boxes piling up and taking place of where personal belongings once were. Izuku goes over his English conjugations aloud with her, and so they studiously go over what they know as they pack. They rent out a truck to take what they don't need to storage, and keep what they want at the apartment.

Inko finally finishes all the paperwork needed to make their move official, and so she acquires their permanent residence visa for England and their passports to finally take a plane to the country. She suspects Elias had pulled a few favors or that magic was on their side to make things as fast and smooth going as they have.

Their final destination is Izuku's Elementary school to pull him from his class and make sure he could transition into homeschooling with little to no complications. Everything is going smoothly up until they stumble upon Bakugou Mitsuki and her son, Katsuki.

"Auntie Mitsuki!" Izuku greets joyously.

"Izu-chan!" Mitsuki greats with enthusiasm, hugging her son with a gentleness Inko hasn't seen in a while. "How are you feeling, sweet pea?"

"Better!" He says with a wide grin, he slaps a fist into an open palm to show emphasis. "I'm getting the treatment that I need to get better."

"That's good, sweetheart." Mitsuki turns towards Inko, "We need to talk."

Inko swallows the dread she feels, and instead tries her best to imitate Elias' way of speaking and Chise's approachable demeanor. So, she smiles and says, "It appears so."

Mitsuki side glances her, and Izuku, her sweet and perceptible son, grabs ahold of her hand and squeezes it in reassurance.

"I have some friends I want to say goodbye to," her son says with little to no room to question it. "They'll be sad if I leave for a while without at least saying goodbye."

"The twins?" she questions, asking about the twin kitsune.

"Hm," Izuku nods. "Them and Yua-chan, mostly, and then some of the others, the children of Titania."

Meaning the _fae_.

"Alright, then. Will someone accompany you?"

"I'll have Iris with me."

_The Protector_.

"Okay, have fun sweetheart."

He grins at her and waves as he walks away, mumbling imperceptibly to his right shoulder where she can only assume Iris sits. Today his hair is weaved with _suitopi _flowers, otherwise known as sweet pea flowers. With his green hair, the flowers stand out like one would against a green pasture. As he goes his way, Inko can see some people pause and coo at him. She smiles.

She turns towards her dearest friend and inclines her head towards the left, opposite of where her son has gone. "Let's go to the park," she says, and is hit by a moment of nostalgia just then. "There are a lot of good memories there."

Mitsuki's eyes soften, and Katsuki scoffs before saying a gruff goodbye and leaving. It's a testament to Mitsuki's want to talk if she doesn't reprimand her son for his rough disposition.

When they arrive at the park they sit in silence for a while, just taking in the serenity of children's joyous laughter reverberating throughout the park. Inko allows for Mitsuki to break the silence, content on allowing her friend to think she's leading the conversation, when truly Inko will be the one directing the conversation. She'll be the orchestrator of this song; she'll guide it to stay at a pianissimo, and not fall into a fortissimo that is Mitsuki's temper.

"So, Izuku—"

"He's getting the treatment he needs." Inko reassures. She folds her hands on her lap, "It's just that the treatment that he needs isn't here."

"So, what? Were you going to move and not tell me?" Mitsuki sounds hurt, though Inko can't blame her for feeling so. "Where? Tokyo?" It's a good assumption that she would have to move to the grander city, with the best medical assistance one could offer. But of course she wouldn't know.

She takes in a deep breath instead, and says, "The English countryside." She then hurries to add on as she sees Mitsuki begin to flare up in anger, "we have family there, and we're only a forty minute train ride from London." Quietly, she murmurs, "It's doing Izuku good, Mitsuki."

Mitsuki deflates, "Is it?"

Inko smiles, if it's for reassurance for herself or her friend, she has not a clue. Maybe, perhaps, it's for both. "Yes, it is. He's getting better and the fresh air of the countryside is doing him good, Mitsuki," she grabs ahold of her friend's hands, and makes her face Inko. "I will call and keep you updated, and I'm sorry I haven't told you what's been going on, but it's all happened so quick."

"Hey, shh, it's okay Inko," Mitsuki grins in spite of her tears, "I'll be here, okay? Waiting for you guys to come back. Who knows, maybe we'll visit you, yeah?"

"Yeah, that'd be great." Inko sniffs.

Mitsuki nods before bringing their foreheads together, and Inko smiles through her tears as they whisper their goodbyes.

Izuku is at the edge of the park once the two friends part ways, and he smiles tentatively at her. She wipes away her tears and smiles back, holding her hand out for him to hold. He does so gladly, with him never one to shy away from affection.

"Let's go home," he says.

Inko looks back towards the park, before nodding with a smile. "Let's go home, Izukkun."


	6. Lady of the Lake: Part 1

"_Izuku_!" A cry for help reverberates in his head as Izuku wakes up in a cold sweat. His heart pounds and his ears ring as his dream slips through the vestiges of his memories, making him feel as if he were missing something important, something vital. It makes him feel the sort of anxiousness that one cannot easily get rid of. The one that makes your hair stand on end and your ribs itch, making you want to rake your nails against your skin or do _something _to alleviate the symptoms.

For now, however, Izuku can do nothing but sit upright and lean sideways on the wall. Bo makes a worried bleat while Peep headbutts him in question. Izuku smiles. "I'm fine guys," Chrys side glances at him from his desk where he weaves a crown of poppy flowers. The poppies centers were dark and their petals radiant. Izuku smiles again, this time meaning it, "Really. It was just a bad dream."

"If you say so, Izzie," Wisteria says, flying up close to his face. "But if you start to have a bad feeling about your dreams, you tell us, okay?"

Izuku nods. Satisfied, Wisteria goes back to picking the crystal flowers from Ollie and bundling them up in bouquets with red braided threads. They stay inside his room for safekeeping, which all his Neighbors understand, but they can make do with one each day if they so pleased. Usually, Sara, Bo, and Peep ate theirs while his Ariel Neighbors absorbed its magic. They've kept the first one they've been given from this whole ordeal, safekeeping it in his room in separate glass jars with strips of colored clothes tied neatly on each jar. It's cute, in a sentimental sort of way.

Izuku yawns, stretching his arms wide over his head before slowly bringing them back to rest on his lap. Iris throws him his towel and looks at him pointedly, hands-on-hips and all that jazz. Izuku slumps his shoulders before getting up to do his morning routine. He opens his window to let Bo and Peep zoom about, and positions Sara in the streaming sunlight, before grabbing a clean change of clothes and heading for the bathroom. He showers and does all he needs to do before he truly feels awake. Perhaps it was the shower, or maybe perhaps it was a gust of wind Iris conjured to dry his hair, but by the end of it, he's awake and ready to go about his day. The itch of forgetfulness from his dream is dulled for the time being.

He notices how long his hair is becoming as he brushes it, having not trimmed it in months, and how now it reaches a bit past his shoulders. He looks at it, truly stares, and notices the difference. Its weighed down now, appearing more and more like his mom's straight hair than his uncontrollable mane that he's always been accustomed to. Which is _weird._

Izuku calls for Wisteria and asks, politely, if she'd like to do anything to his hair. He'll never forget her enthusiastic nod, nor how she called for backup in the forms of Chrys and Iris. They end up doing a half braided updo before settling the poppy flower crown on his head. Izuku can't lie, he likes how he looks in the mirror. He thanks his Neighbors profusely before they all head downstairs for breakfast, the smell of eggs and sausages guiding him to the kitchen

His mom gushes over his hair for a good minute or two, complementing his Neighbors aloud into the air so that they may hear it despite her not being able to see them. Izuku quickly repeats their thanks and explains, slyly, how they're glad to have her approval and praise. His mom's eyes light up, and she tears up not long after.

"You guys are precious," she says, wiping away her tears. "I wish I could see you so that I could thank you all properly." If his Neighbors countenances are anything to go by, they wish that as well. His mother has always left a good impression on his Neighbors in general, having only ever wanted the best for him and always trying her best to support him. Even despite her misgivings with his dream of becoming a hero, with him being quirkless and all.

Chrys picks a stray poppy from the crown, and his mom watches as the flower floats between them to rest behind her ear. "Midori-chan, tell her we're grateful for giving magic a chance."

Izuku repeats what Chrys said.

His mom smiles brightly. "Of course, honey, why wouldn't I? It runs in the family, after all."

In tandem, Izuku and his Ariel Neighbors tilt their heads in confusion. "Huh?"

His mom, in turn, beckons Izuku to follow her to the greenhouse to tend to the flowers while they talk. There, she tells him about her granny Amaya's stories and how she believed that her granny had the Sight, just like him. She sombrely tells him how she started to believe all those tales to be just fantastical stories her granny told to pass time as his mom grew older, instead of known facts.

"You didn't believe her," Izuku can't help but point out. "You enjoyed her stories, but you didn't believe her." He doesn't know how to feel about that.

"Yeah," she sighs sadly while watering the dahlias. She hikes the watering can against her hip. "It's hard to learn to believe in the incredible and illogical, Izuku. But you? You're different. Even without magic, without being a Sleigh Beggy, I have no doubt in my mind you would've believed granny Amaya's stories and taken them to heart."

"Perhaps," he says, red in the face.

"You would have," Iris says, "you would have definitely taken them to heart, Izzie."

"That's what makes you incredible, Izuku," she states with conviction. "Now, come here. We're going to repot the chamomile."

He smiles and helps where he can, and they putter around in the greenhouse for the entire morning. During that time his mother tells him more about granny Amaya and her stories. Izuku is surprised with how knowledgeable his mom is about magic and its dos and don'ts and many faux passes. She tells him of his father, and how he was knowledgeable on Japanese legends and stories as opposed to his mom's more European inclined folklore.

"Granny Amaya's great-grandfather had the Sight," his mom says, "Or so Granny Amaya always said. She described her great-grandfather, grandfather Fumiki, as special. Apparently, his parents separated when he was just a baby, and he never got to meet his mother because she passed away, and his sister disappeared soon after, so he set out to discover the world and its secrets when he grew up."

"Because of his Sight?"

His mom nods in the affirmative, "Yes, so he became an archeologist to find irrefutable proof that he wasn't going insane with whispers of magic passing by his ear. But then he gave that job up." She sighs. "Quirks started to pop up around the time your great-many-times grandfather was thirty, and he knew that upheaval would soon begin."

"What did he do?"

"He became a quirk activist, and he became a good one at that. He did a lot of stuff, and that included changing his career to be geared more towards law so that he could help quirked people. Later in life, as he grew older, he was written off as insane due to his Sight. He passed on his knowledge that he gained as an archeologist to granny Amaya, who in turn passed it on to whoever would listen to her in our family. She used to have this book, she would read it all the time, and now thinking back on it, it might have been great-many-time grandfather Fumiki's findings of magic in his time as an archeologist."

By noon Chise ("drop the honorific, there's no need for formalities now,") pops her head in and asks him to accompany her to run some errands in the village. After exchanging a glance with his mom, he readily agrees. He helps Chise pack all the packages that ought to be wrapped as well and helps her put them all on the pull-along wagon. They live on the outskirts of Myrge Nyht, the village, and so it takes them a good ten minutes just to walk into the village square.

They mostly run medicinal pouches that contain herbal remedies, and there are many times where the village people stop and greet Chise, speaking eagerly to her and asking about Izuku's wellbeing.

"I do good," he responds in their tongue, with Chise softly correcting his English to: "I'm doing well."

Chise smiles each time and lends a listening ear to their problems — if their faces are anything to go by — when need be. She's patient and caring and every bit of a lady of the village. Chise quietly tells Izuku in their mother tongue how many people believe her and her husband to have a longevity quirk due to how long she and Elias have lived in their cottage and taken care of village needs. They, as in Chise and Elias, are collectively called the Guardians of Myrge Nyht, for they care for the sick and keep an eye out on the general goings of the village. If a problem arises, Elias and Chise are there to lend a helping hand. Both are well respected, and that respect is carried over to Izuku and his mom, who are under their care.

"Ask for anything, and you shall receive, but everything must be in equal exchange—"

"Lest you be deceived." Izuku finishes. A proud gleam passes through Chise's eyes, and she brings him close to her side into a hug.

"You're going to make a mark in history, Izuku." Chise proclaims, and Izuku glances down to see her shadow bounce in agreement. "I just know it."

↞ « o » ↠

When Izuku dreams, it's usually nonsensical things. Bits of images that never stick with him, and those that do cause him déjà vu while awake. He dreams of magic, more often than not, of how he could help others with it, save lives, be a hero, the whole shtick. His dream — the one he's always longed for, unachievable as it may appear to be — will always be in the back of his mind even as he tries to better himself. Because how was he supposed to help others if he himself is withering away? _Was _withering away, he's getting better and he has no doubt in his mind that his sheer stubbornness will make him stick around for at least a few more years, if only for his mom. Because his mom is a strong woman, going through all that she has because of him. From accepting his magic to trying her best with his malady as a Sleigh Beggy, his mom deserves all that he can give her and _more_.

But he does not think of his mom now as he walks and walks and walks on still water. He walks for a long while, his footsteps forming ripples in the water; he follows a soft voice and dim light. Slowly, the dim light brightens with every step he takes, growing bigger and nearer and it shapes into the form of a beautiful woman with delicate features. She floats above the water, waiting for Izuku patiently, and her dress floats with her as if she were underwater, as does her long silvery hair. Her skin glows ethereally, reminding Izuku of the porcelain of those delicate dolls.

"Midoriya Izuku," the woman smiles a wan smile, and Izuku immediately does not like it. Her smile should be vibrant and full of life, he just knows it deep within his heart. There is something that whispers in his ear, saying _wrong wrong wrong, missing, not here, where are __**they? **_as he looks around. The emptiness of darkness, with only water beneath his feet that expands for miles on end, makes him feel awfully small.

Izuku bows, and magic whispers in his ear names of old, and so, he says, "Enchantress Nimue, Lady of the Lake," he straightens up when she whispers a soft '_just Nimue is fine,'_ "How can I help you?"

"I'm in need of a service," Nimue says slowly as if she were already losing hope.

"Within reason," Izuku says back, remembering to never give himself fully to anything associated with magic, no matter how he may want to help. Lest he is taken advantage of.

"Of course," she nods before extending her hand upwards towards him. Without hesitation Izuku lays his upon hers, gripping it tightly with both his hands. "My apprentice," she starts, pained, and Izuku can feel the sincerity in her emotions, "has been kidnapped, taken away from my protection, for days now. Please, I beg of you, save them." Her voice wavers and her hand clenches around his in a tight grip.

"I will try my best, Lady Nimue." It's as close to a promise as he can get. Her hand stops its relentless squeeze and Izuku can't help but feel sorry for her. Can't fathom having someone close to him be taken away from him as her apprentice was to her. She kneels, and the water beneath them ripple as she shows Izuku what lays within their clasped hands. There, on her hand and cupped protectively with his, lays a silver compass.

"Find them," she whispers, before blowing softly on his face.

Izuku bolts upright awake, breath heavy, and in his hand there lays an ornate compass.

↞ « o » ↠

Izuku waits until breakfast time to tell all of them of his dream and about the silver compass weighing heavily in his pocket. While he waited for breakfast he went downstairs and into the greenhouse to decompress and relax by repotting and watering the plants. It's Silky who finds him sometime later, about thirty minutes before breakfast time, and sends him up to clean up. She sets out a new outfit out for him on his bed. It's a pink dress shirt paired with a grey cashmere sweater and dark jeans. He breathes out and heads downstairs.

He takes out the compass from his dream and sets in on the table, opening it. Everyone stops what they're doing and wait for him patiently to start explaining.

"I got this from a dream last night," he says, fiddling with his fingers a bit, "from a woman named Nimue who needs my help finding someone."

"It's pointing east," Ruth points out, leaning over Izuku to take a good look at it. "Not north, but _east_, why is that?"

"I've been thinking about it," Izuku turns the compass a bit. "I think this is a compass to find that person that Nimue wants me to find, instead of an ordinary compass. But, for some reason Nimue herself can't do it, so instead, she has me doing it. It's for the same reason Nimue cannot come here to ask us for help and instead reached out to me in my dreams. I think she's stuck in some form or another, to someplace, and cannot leave that place."

"That's not that improbable with magic," Elias says thoughtfully. "You've clearly thought this through."

Izuku flushes, "I've been up for a while."

"He's been up since four in the morning," Wisteria pitches in and Izuku flushes, and then hangs his head when Chise repeats what his Neighbor said to his mom. His mom's brows rise up in surprise, and her concerned gaze turns upon him.

"Izuku?"

"I'm fine," he says quietly. "Just please, help me make sense of this and help me help her."

Silky makes her way around the table and hugs him. Izuku practically melts into her arms, having needed the comfort for some while.

"We could try scrying," says Chise after a while

"Scrying?"

"It's a mean to tell the future by looking into a crystal ball or any reflective surface," Elias explains.

"If we were to focus on not looking too into the future then we could possibly figure out where they're holding this person Nimue is looking for."

"That's brilliant!" Izuku says.

"Finish your breakfast first," his mom says sternly. "You won't be able to help anyone on an empty stomach."

Izuku wisely sat down and ate his breakfast.

Later, Chise brings him to the living room and teaches him the basics of scrying. Izuku is impatient, and glimpses of visions tease him before leaving just as quick. Chise just sighs herself and sets aside her crystal ball after hours on end of attempts of scrying.

"I'm making some passion fruit tea, want some?"

"Yes, please." He says, putting the crystal ball back on its stand. He stands and cracks his back, feelings such as hopelessness and uselessness washing over him as he gazes back into the ball. He sighs and heads out of the living room and up the stairs to his room. He needs to make his bed and air out his room.

But as he's passing the open door of the bathroom, a flash of movement catches his attention, and he turns back around to head there. Izuku squints against the sun and sees that there's nothing, or rather no one, in the bathroom. However, as he is just about to shrug and call it a day, due to his exhaustion, of course, movement in the mirror catches his attention. He stares into it frantically, because was this scrying? Was he finally getting somewhere?

Izuku watches as the movement in the mirror turn to figures surrounding a lone figure chained to the wall. Izuku feels as his breathing evens out and his senses dial down. He feels as if he were there and could hear the harsh breathing of what he can assume is Nimue's apprentice.

"My name is Artemis Nightingale," they rasp, chin tucked to their chest, "I am twenty years old, and I am apprenticed to the Lady of the Lake. My name is Artemis Nightingale, and I've been abducted by the League of Villains. My name is Artemis Nightinga-_ack!_" Izuku flinches horrible as someone punches Artemis in the stomach.

The perpetrator has the audacity to shake their hand as if they, themselves, had been hurt. "Shut up already, would you?"

Artemis laughs in the face of death. "What? It's not like I'm hurting anyone," their voice turns dark, "_unlike you_."

"Your voice grates on my ears, girlie."

"Fuck you, I'm no goddamn girl you absolute dick for heads."

There's a commotion somewhere outside the scene and someone who Izuku can only assume is another villain, runs in. Izuku can vaguely hear screaming and lots and lots of cursing. Out of his peripherals, he can make out fire and smoke. Izuku looks up to see a small window allowing the sun in after the clouds part, and it shines down upon Artemis. It makes their curly hair glow like a halo of an avenging angel, and their skin glows in the same power that Nimue had glowed.

"What do you need?"

"We have intruders, sir. So far it's only one of them, but they're wreaking havoc at the entrance."

"They'll bring the heroes onto us if we don't stop them! Hurry, go and finish them off! GO!"

"My name is Artemis Nightingale," they bellow, their voice low and steady. "I am in London, and you have brought about your doom, the League of Villains."

The mirror cracks with Artemis' roar of anger and shatters with their screams.

"Izuku?"

"_IZUKU!_"

He faints.

↞ « o » ↠

"_Hurry, Izuku!"_

Izuku pounds on Chise and Elias' bedroom door, his heart frantic and hands shaking as he does so. He couldn't believe that by scrying he had fainted as he did, nor that he had slept a good portion of the day away due to magical exhaustion. He knows, however, that Artemis needs help and they need it _now_.

It only takes a few seconds for it to be opened by Ruth, who stares at him blankly in a way only someone has awoken in a rush could do.

"Nimue," is all Izuku can get out. But then it all comes tumbling out. "_Nimue, Artemis, the League of Villains — Lake Avalon!" _

"Izuku?" From the stairs comes his mom's voice as she ascends them in her robes. "What's going on honey?"

Izuku wants to talk, to answer her question, but he's too out of breath to do so. So, instead, he gasps for air.

"I'd like to know the same," Elias deep baritone breaks the silence.

"Breathe," comes Chise's voice. "Here, follow me. _Inhale, _1… 2… 3… _exhale,_ 1… 2… 3… again." They did the breathing exercises a few times before Izuku regained his breath.

Finally, he says, "Nimue resides in Lake Avalon, the one from the legend of King Arthur. We need to go there. Artemis is in grave danger."

Izuku, despite knowing Chise, worries for a second that she'll take his worry for granted and call it a night. Instead, steel appears in her eyes, set determination in other words, and tells him to change and get ready for a long night. His mom worries her lip as he turns to her, and she nods in grim acceptance that her son would be going out to face the world. As she always knew with his want to become a hero that he would eventually have

"Be careful, Izuku," she murmurs. "Promise that you'll be coming back to me."

He hugs her, "I promise," and he then he lets go and changes and grabs the compass Lady Nimue gave him. He practically flew down the stairs in his want to get to their destination as quickly as possible. Chise and Elias wait for him outside on the stone pathway.

"I'm taking you," Chise says, and offers her hand to him.

"I'll be following close behind." Elias intones, his eyes cold and calculating.

Izuku nods to both of them and takes Chise's proffered hand; they leave in a flight of flames.

↞ « o » ↠

"Nimue!" Izuku calls out once they land, running into the lake from his dreams. _The _Lake Avalon. He ignores the Chise's shriek for him to stop, but Izuku continues until he's knee-deep waddling in the water. He's splashing about the place until he trips and falls into the water. It's cold and Izuku does not feel comfortable one bit. The sun's setting and time is pressing down on them to find Lady Nimue's apprentice, Artemis, who was being held by awful villains for days on end already. But, Izuku had gazed and gazed into the scrying bowl, trying to understand the best way to go about saving them, and had come to the conclusion that since Lady Nimue genuinely cared for her apprentice, then she could at least help Izuku in some form or another.

A warm hand grasps his arm and pulls him out of the water, Chise's frantic green eyes stare into his own frantic ones. She pulls him back towards the shore of the lake.

"Izuku!" he's never heard her raise her voice like this. "You can't just—! I know you're worried but we need to go about this logically!"

"You're right," he hangs his head for a bit, before setting his jaw and staring her straight in the eyes once more. "That was wrong of me. But right now we need help, and I have a feeling Nimue can help."

"You'd be right about that, Izuku."

Lo' and behold, as Chise and he turn, there on the water's surface stands the Lady of the Lake, Nimue. Her hair whips around her face as if she were in the midst of a raging storm, and her dress flaps relentlessly against her. Her eyes, which now hold some modicum of hope, also hold rage and restlessness.

"Nimue," they both bow, and Izuku straightens up, "I believe I know where to start looking for Artemis."

Nimue smiles, baring her teeth a bit. "Good. I have just the thing for you to make those who took Artemis from me _pay_."


	7. Lady of the Lake: Part 2

"What do you have in mind, Lady Nimue?" It's Elias who speaks up, having arrived in a burst of briars. Ruth himself emerges from Chise's shadow, appearing in his Grimm form. He stares at Izuku and Chise's wet forms and looks above as if praying to the high heavens for patience. Izuku would have burst into giggles at his reaction if his sole focus wasn't on the Lady of the Lake. Her face is fiery, and her eyes are sharp as they bear their weight onto Izuku's own.

"Midoriya Izuku," she says lowly, "come forth."

Izuku takes three steps towards Nimue before Chise, wide-eyed and her lips pursed, grabs a hold of his wrist. She tenses when he looks at her in the eye, and slowly with care, he slips from her grasp. He walks towards Nimue, stopping before he takes ahold of her proffered hand, and looks back towards his family and says —

"No matter what happens," he watches as Chise tenses once more and the other two bristle. "I'll come back. That's a _promise_."

— and grips Nimue's hand tightly. Her eyes glow with ancient power and a large wave of water rises above them. Chise screams and Ruth changes to his human form in a blink of an eye, reaching out desperately with a gruff shout. Elias' eyes glow eerily in the darkness of early dawn as his briars rise, rushing towards Izuku and Nimue.

But it is too late, the wave comes crashing down on both of them, cutting both Ruth and the briars off abruptly. Izuku's vision is obscured by the water, and he holds onto Nimue tightly as the water pulls them both into Lake Avalon. At first, Izuku is petrified, feeling water surrounding his face and giving in to the need to hold his breath. But then Nimue's soft voice tells him to breathe, and he does so. It's a rather weird sensation, one that makes him want to panic all over again, but he refrains from doing so. He doesn't even realize his eyes are shut until Nimue tells him to open them. He counts to three before even daring to do so, and gasps once he does.

The water is crystal clear, and there, on the lake floor, is what appears to be an entrance to another world entirely. It's a golden arch that leads to this effervescent, otherworldly realm, which shines brightly underneath the sun rays that break through the water. Izuku peers at the sun rays with a queer stare, before exchanging a worried look with Nimue.

"I'm afraid we're running out of time," she says and pushes him forward towards the golden arch. "I wish I could do this under better circumstances, but welcome, Midoriya Izuku, to Avalon."

"Avalon," he says in awe, before shaking his head and organizing his thoughts. There's a time and place to bask in the glory of Avalon, he reminds himself, and this is not it.

"Resting King's Castle!" Nimue bellows and the scene in the arch changes from the beautiful grove with lively flora and fauna to the barren, but still breathtaking, cobblestone halls of what Izuku can only assume as Resting King's Castle. "Come, quickly."

Izuku follows after her, waddling awkwardly in the water before he passes the threshold of the golden arch, in which he fumbles as he lands on the cobblestone floors, almost falling on his face were it not for Nimue's steadying hand. He takes a second to gape at the large hall, the Great Hall of the castle, before Nimue pulls him out of the Great Hall and up a staircase and down a hallway with surprising strength, but not all that surprising at the same time seeing as how powerful she is. She pulls and pulls and it takes all Izuku's own strength and stamina to keep up with her. In the end, no matter how much he huffs and puffs, they don't slow down and slowly the adrenaline kicks in and he finds himself pushing himself a little harder. Artemis' life is on the line, after all.

Finally, they approach an unassuming door at the topmost level of the castle, and without an ounce of restraint does Nimue open it with a mighty push of her palm. The first thing that Izuku comes to realize is just how _large _the room is, with its tall arching ceiling and wide interior, and the second thing he notices is the multiple suits of armor standing erect, stock still in their vigilant postures, guarding large wooden chests by their feet. Nimue first approaches the far left suit of armor and its chest, opening it with barely a blink. Therein lays multiple weapons, the most beautiful and worn, well-loved, being a bow and its arrow quiver.

"I asked permission from Sir Tristan, and he was delighted for it to be put back in good use. Grab it, Izuku, for it is yours now."

The bow and quiver murmur to him its name as he reaches for it. "Fail-Not," he whispers reverently. He grabs a hold of it gently and plucks it from its small stand in the chest, the bow hums a low tune of acceptance before flashing brilliantly. It shrinks, allowing for Izuku to hold it comfortably, and he admires it for another second or two before grabbing the quiver full of arrows. He nods with determination.

He struggles to get the quivers buckled up to his hip, but eventually, with the help of Nimue, he manages. Nimue, after that, hands him a sheathed dagger with a white hilt. It's about the length of his entire forearm and a bit more. She then grabs a hold of a large shield.

She points at the dagger, "Carnwennan," and then heaves up the shield, "and this is _Wynebgwrthucher,_" Izuku blinks at her, mouthing the name slowly and deliberately with little success, "but you could also call it Pridwen."

"Pridwen works," he says rather dazedly.

Her face softens. "I know this is a lot, but I don't want to take any chances once you find Artemis and save them."

"You sound so sure," his insecurities rise, and a bit (read: _a lot_) of nerves finally push past the adrenaline. He's about to go find this apprentice and save them, from a group that Artemis had called the _League of Villains_ and face them head-on. "How are you sure I won't fail?" He cringes at the words as he says them.

"Because you're Midoriya Izuku," her eyes shine with untold power, "and everything you do, every action you take, is because you've spat in the face of adversity and come out on top. So, don't allow your insecurities to choke your light."

Still nervous, but filled with an unimaginable amount of courage and daring now, he shifts into a more sure position and allows for Nimue to strap the shield to his forearm.

"Let's do this."

↞ « o » ↠

When the water rises again and crashes on the shore, it reveals the wet form of Midoriya Izuku. His countenance is set, determined to the core, and his figure is sure in his posture as he holds the gifted bow tightly. Chise is the first to run up for him, and with the sun already a ways up in the sky, it's not hard to see the tear-tracks that run down her cheeks.

Izuku gives her a reassuring smile. "I told you that I'd come back."

"You silly boy," she cries out, reaching out to him as if she wanted to hug him. She refrains, however, once she sees the vast amount of weaponry on his figure. Instead, she asks, "What have you gotten us into?"

Izuku gives her a wry look, coupled with a shrug. "Who knows?" He glances at Ruth. "Doesn't this seem familiar to you?"

"You mean how Chise would run off on her own and get into trouble? Then, yes, it does."

Chise shoots Ruth a betrayed look. The Grimm merely shrugs it off, coming closer to smack Izuku upside the head. Izuku winces, rubbing his head with acceptance of the fact that he was, indeed, reckless.

"Don't do that to us," Ruth says tightly.

"Agreed," Elias says. His eyes seem somber, a bit dimmer than what they'd been earlier, and Izuku allows for the situation and his actions to settle a weight on his shoulders. He slumps his shoulders and ducks his head when Elias comes closer. Izuku tenses when a hand settles on his head before it ruffles his damp hair. "However, I am glad that you're safe and sound, and it appears as if you've brought gifts of goodwill back."

Izuku blinks but nods nonetheless. "Yeah, Nimue gifted these to me to help us rescue Artemis."

It's a bit much for him to carry and use, but Izuku comes to a conclusion. "Chise," he starts, "how good are you with a bow and arrow?"

She mimes a so-so move with her hand, a grimace on her face. "I'm… _okay_, I suppose." Ruth makes a face alongside her.

Izuku hands her the bow. "This is Fail-Not, and it'll always strike true."

Chise's face scrunches up in thought, looking at the bow in question. "Fail-Not? Isn't that—"

"Sir Tristan's bow from the round table," Elias speaks up. "How curious that Lady Nimue would grant you such a thing."

"She's serious about the safety of her apprentice," Izuku defends.

"In that case," Chise says, grabbing the quiver from Izuku and strapping it on, "we must do our best to save Artemis."

Izuku cheers.

"Where to?" Ruth asks. "We'll follow your lead, Izuku."

"Now," Izuku says, grabbing a hold of Chise's arm. "We go to London."

↞ « o » ↠

When they land in London, they land with a burst of flames in an inconspicuous alleyway. Izuku can hear the rush of the early risers and workers, of cars and the low hub-bub of city life. Soon after, Elias' briars arrive and disperse in the blink of an eye, leaving behind the towering mage. Ruth appears from Chise's shadow in his Grimm form. Everyone, including Izuku himself, are tense. They're about to go fight this group of self-proclaimed villains and save Nimue's apprentice, Artemis.

Izuku brings out the compass and flips it open. Ruth peers over his shoulder.

«_It's pointing south._»

Chise nods, and then stops Izuku from leaving the alleyway. "Hold on just a second, we need to disguise our weapons first."

Izuku tilts his head in question. "How?"

"Illusions," she says as she disguises her bow into a rather large umbrella and her quiver as a satchel. Izuku's shield is illusioned into a school bag, and his dagger into a small umbrella hanging from his belt.

Izuku jumps, the school bag feels as if it were just that, a school bag, and he carefully runs his fingers on the illusioned dagger-as-an-umbrella, and feels the smoothness of the nylon.

"What?" he asks, half in wonder and the other half in genuine curiosity. "_How?_"

"Illusions are more than just what you see. They deceive a person entirely, down to the five senses." Chise explains patiently. "Kinda like Schrödinger's cat. It is in a paradoxical state of being, dead and alive, but in this case, it is in a state of being both a dagger and an umbrella."

"Amazing," Izuku says. "How do I use this as a dagger when illusioned as an umbrella?"

"It's simple," she says, "just remember this chant: _You freely lie, you delusion, but no more, I free you of this illusion._"

"Okay," he says as he shoulders his shield-turned-schoolbag. "Alright."

"Let's get to it," Elias says, and Izuku doubles back when he sees that Elias looks human. Elias sees the wide-eyes look Izuku directs at him and smiles with his human face, teeth and all. "People are still uncomfortable with my other form, even in the era of quirks."

"They stray clear of him," Chise says sourly. "Say his mutation suits a villain."

Izuku grimaces at the blatant prejudice and profiling.

"It doesn't matter," Elias says. "We can discuss this another time if need be. Izuku, this quest was handed to you. How should we proceed?"

He thinks for a while, trying his best to remember the scene back when he'd accidentally scried on the bathroom mirror. The sun had been high up in the sky, and where Artemis was kept had been bare. Cement floors and stone walls, with a lone bench for someone to keep station over the poor apprentice chained to the wall. But the one detail that stands out is the fact that that the bench was a church pew, and an old one at that.

"Keep a lookout for an abandoned church." He finally says after coming to a conclusion. "South of where we are there should be one. We just need to keep an eye out for activity."

«_A church?» _the Grimm questions, interest piqued.

"Yeah," he trails off, once again swallowing down his nerves. The city has a lot of ground to cover, and the sun shines down upon them relentlessly, giving Izuku the impression of someone breathing down his neck to hurry up. Time's ticking down to find Artemis and find them relatively unharmed.

They leave the alleyway as casually as one can, and fit seamlessly into the crowd. Ruth pairs up with Izuku, and Chise and Elias stick together. They part ways at a crossroad, with Chise giving Izuku a parting kiss on the crown of his head before they each head their own ways. "Have fun with Ruth," she says, and Izuku reads that as '_stay safe and out of trouble. _He nods and waves at her goodbye, promising to have fun. An elderly couple nearby coo at the cute exchange, and then barely blink when Ruth's form turns to that of a human, and instead comment on the impressive quirk.

Ruth and he scour what feels most of the city by the time noon comes, but what in reality can only be a brief portion of London. Eventually, Izuku's stomach grumbles and Ruth drags him off to a food kiosk, where he buys him something to munch on, and Izuku is eternally grateful, especially as he tentatively sips on the energy drink he'd been given.

"It's not the healthiest," Ruth had said, "but it's something at least."

They continue on, with Izuku keeping an eye out as they walk down the street. He feels a bit overwhelmed, but then the winds softly blow and tussle through his hair, like a guardian looking out for their ward, before words carried by the wind make him turn on impulse.

Izuku's eyes snap to the side, and he grabs ahold of Ruth's fur to stop the Grimm in his tracks. Vibrant green eyes glow as he takes stock of the figure lurking near a corner, leaning hunched on the wall as he takes a long drag of his cigarette. He's bald and sickening pale, with tattoos littering his head and bare arms. He's built like a wall, all muscles and sinews, so much so that people steer clear of him.

"That's him," Izuku whispers to Ruth, "he's the one that I saw in the mirror."

"Izuku," Ruth breathes out, "look at the compass."

Izuku does so, and he can feel warmth gnawing at his throat. Hope within him rises as the compass revolves a few times before pointing directly in front of him, towards the tattooed man. He looks up, towards the boarded up window and, with help of a timely sun, sees the glitter of stained glass.

"Gotcha," Izuku says. "Ruth, could you contact Chise and Elias for me? Tell them we found the League, and to meet us at the abandoned Church of the Last Promise."

"They're on their way," Ruth responds after a few seconds of silence. "Chise says to stay still, and _don't _go running head first into this."

Izuku gives him a two-fingered salute in acknowledgement and murmurs the chant to free the illusion settled over the weapons Nimue had gifted him. Carnwennan and Pridwen vibrate with energy in his hold, ready for a long awaited battle. Izuku feels a calm wash over him, drowning his worries down, suffocating them until all he feels are the barest of threads of anxiety.

Ruth pulls him further into the alleyway, away from the prying eyes of civilians and the tattooed villain. Izuku settles behind the large trash bin, allowing Carnwennan to whisper to him some helpful tips on how to wield it. He figures out that if he visualizes hard enough then he can shroud himself in shadows. He allows for shadow movements to guide his own, and for Ruth to adjust his grip on the dagger so it's firm, but loose enough to allow for fluid movement.

Pridwen, like Fail-Not had done, had adjusted to his size so it's now only half of his stature instead of being a bit taller than him. Izuku tries to get a rhythm going between Carnwennan and Pridwen, and he's somewhat successful in his attempts. Pridwen, even though surprisingly light, was still heavy enough to make his arm tire after a few minutes of use.

Izuku pants a bit, allowing his arms to hang at his side as the shadows at Carnwennan's command fall back to the floor. Not soon after, Elias and Chise appear, and Chise drops her own illusion over Fail-Not.

"What's the plan, then?" Chise asks.

Izuku remembers his vision, back in the bathroom, rather vaguely under pressure. _Out of his peripherals, he can make out fire and smoke._

He looks at Chise and Elias closely, and then to Ruth, and slowly a grin forms on his face.

_Fire and smoke. _That's it!

"Chise," he starts, and she straightens. "Do you think you could turn into your phoenix form and set the place ablaze? It will serve as both a distraction and as a beacon for the heroes based in London to zero in on this villain base. Elias, I need you to tie up any villains with your briars until they are apprehended by the law enforcement. Once the villains are distracted and captured, Ruth and I will enter and take down any stragglers and make our way inwards to find Artemis."

"I don't like the fact that you're putting yourself in needless danger, especially being in the front lines and all." Chise sighs in a frustrated manner. "But the point still stands that this is your quest, handed to you by Lady Nimue, so while I trust your judgment, you have got to be careful, you got me, Izuku? Come back to us, safe."

"We'll make sure he comes back safe and unscathed!" chirps a voice, and Izuku whips his head up to see his Ariel Neighbors descend towards them rapidly. Iris tackles him in the shoulder while Wisteria and Chrys aim for his forehead. He tries to duck, to little success, and ends up on the ground for his efforts.

"Don't _leave _us like that!" Chrys reprimands him, flicking his nose.

"I'm so sorry!" Izuku apologizes profusely. Truly, in the heat of the moment, after having just woken up, he'd forgotten to wait for his Neighbors to catch up to him. His only thought had been to save Artemis and get Nimue's help while at it. "I'm glad you guys are here."

"You better be!" Iris exclaims.

"How can we help, Midori-chan?" Wisteria asks, and the other two follow her lead, looking at him expectantly.

"Iris, you'll be with me," he says after a moment of thought. "Chrys, you'll be with Chise causing mayhem. I need you to feed the flames with the winds. Wisteria, you'll be helping Elias with apprehending the villains. Are you guys up to the task?"

Chrys lands on Chise's shoulder and Wisteria hovers near Elias, both looking resolute. In tandem, all three answer, "Yes, Izuku."

He smiles brilliantly, and turns towards Chise with a determined face. He nods, and she takes a deep breath before her body bursts into flames, taking the form of a grand bird. She stretches her neck up high and croons a small tune, one that inspires Izuku to do his best, before shrieking a battle cry and bolting up into the sky. She shrieks again as she reaches an apex of her flight and descends down on the building, allowing her wings to brush near the wooden boards covering the windows, setting it ablaze. There's a gust of wind as Chrys flies close to the scene, feeding and directing the flames.

There are screams of fright as civilians run from the scene, and the distant yelling and cursing of those villains inside.

"Elias," Izuku says, and the mage nods, melting into the shadows. "Wisteria."

"Be safe, Izuku." she says, before flying into the burning building.

"Be safe, everyone," he says, allowing his voice to be carried by the wind.

Ruth and he wait until the cursing and yelling from inside slowly dissipates as Elias and Wisteria take down villains before he grabs a hold of the Grimm and both melt into the shadows, Iris following quickly behind, only to reappear inside the burning building.

"Let's make this quick," he says, ducking down low and bringing Pridwen up to avoid some debris falling on them. "Iris, go ahead and see if you can find Artemis." She nods and zooms off just as Izuku brings up Carnwennan in time to deflect a bladed-arm belonging to a villain.

"A kid?" the she-villain gasps, before narrowing her eyes and bringing her other blade-arm down upon him. Izuku uses Pridwen to deflect her attack and knock her back enough for him to catch his breath, which is getting harder to do due to the smoke.

"Tsk," he says, flinching as the she-villain sets out to attack again. Ruth snarls and bites the flesh part of her arm, chomping down on it. She screams and Izuku, while remorseful, takes the chance to knock her out by using the butt of his blade to hit her on the side of the head.

She crumples to the floor, and immediately briars form around her, immobilizing her.

Izuku winces. "That's _got _to hurt."

«_Feel bad about your enemies later,_» Ruth says, rather blandly.

They face a few more villains as they delve deeper into the church until finally, _finally_, Iris reappears with a grin on her face. "This way! Come on, follow me!"

Izuku quickly deals with the villain he's facing, using Pridwen to quickly knock him out, before going after Iris, Ruth following not far behind. Iris leads them to a short stairwell, and they rapidly descend it. Izuku stumbles when he hears a familiar scream, and bolts down the remaining steps in time to see the tattoo villain from earlier cover his ears in a grimace and Artemis cough.

The tattoo villain, all too preoccupied with Artemis, doesn't see Izuku at all as he menacingly approaches the apprentice. The knife tattooed on his forearm flickers to life in his hand, glittering threateningly as he grabs Artemis' throat, hovering the knife near their eye.

"Now, listen here, girlie. I don't appreciate the shit you've been pulling lately. The big bossman himself will be here any day now to take your quirk, what do you have to say about that?"

"I told you," they rasp, locking eyes with Izuku for a brief moment before returning their gaze to the tattoo villain. "That I'm _quirkless_! And you've brought about your doom, the League of Villains." Izuku lurches forward just as Artemis' fist clenches in their shackles and knees the villain where it hurts the most. The villain gives a grunt of pain, and Izuku acts quickly by kicking the fallen knife to Ruth and bringing his shield down on the villain. Unfortunately, the villain rolls away from the attack, but fortunately, somehow and someway, there's a glittering force field surrounding Izuku and Artemis, shielding them from the villain's enraged attacks.

"Iris!" he exclaims, feeling the force field weaken with the ongoing attacks. The Ariel turns to attention. "Free Artemis! And Ruth! Help me."

«_I'm not going to hold back_,» Ruth warns, snarling.

Izuku merely smirks. "Good thing I'm not going to do so either. Give it your _all_."

Izuku grabs Pridwen from its erect position on the floor, readying Carnwennan in his grasp.

The villain laughs once the forcefield drops. "A kid and his dog, are you trying to save the girlie over there?"

"I'm not a goddamn girl!" they shriek.

"Don't allow him to rile you up," Izuku says in a low tone of voice, watching as the villain grins and hunches in on himself. Twin blades erupt from his back, and the villain grabs them, steady in his stance. Izuku trembles minutely, before steadying himself.

"Help me, help them." He murmurs, feeling the memories of Carnwennan and Pridwen rise within him. "_Help me, help them_."

"Come at me," the villain says with a wide smirk. "Come on, little boy, or are you afraid?"

Izuku faces him head on, eyes glowing eerily. He cocks his head to the side, "Afraid? Me? You must be mistaken."

The villain charges and Izuku faces him head on. "Ruth!" he calls out, ducking and bringing Pridwen to block a strike, "reach out to Chise! Tell her to come here!"

Ruth snarls as Izuku dodges another blow aimed at his head, and Izuku can only hope that Ruth has done as he was told. The Grimm enters the fray of the battle, scratching and biting at the exposed areas as Izuku stays on the defensive. Seeing an opening, Izuku charges forward, slashing Carnwennan at the bridge of the villain's nose before ducking and rolling away from the enraged attack that followed soon after. He's lucky to have only been grazed on the shoulder by the sword, instead of being skewered by it.

The villain kicks Izuku in his ribs, sending him sprawling on the floor. Ruth growls menacingly, jumping into action. He keeps the villain at bay as Izuku struggles to stand up, much less join the fight again.

"Duck!"  
Ruth immediately melts into the shadows to reappear beside Izuku, and they all watch as an arrow sails across the room to nail the villain on the shoulder, two others follow closely behind, hitting the villain's knees. Izuku looks away as the man wails in pain, grunting as he struggles to stand, before falling back to the floor. That's an awful lot of blood.

"Izuku! Ruth! Are you both alright?"

He nods, and Ruth changes back to human to bring Chise into his arms briefly, looking her over.

"I'm fine." The red-haired woman says, "Ruth, I'm _fine_."

"We better get out of here," Izuku grunts, forcing himself upright, " the law enforcement and the heroes will be here any moment."

"Izuku," she furrows her brows, "are you speaking English?"

He furrows his own brows, "Am I?"

"I think I can explain that," Artemis says, finally freed from their shackles. Their body trembles with exertion and Chise wastes no time in going to their side to support them. "But I would prefer it if we could leave this place first, please?"

"Let's do that," Izuku readily agrees.

Chise takes her flaming phoenix form once more with Artemis in her arms, breaking through the ceiling above them and out of the church. Iris and Izuku tightly grasp at Ruth as they melt into the shadows, missing the heroes that burst onto the scene by the skin of their teeth. Meanwhile, the law enforcement and heroes outside dealing with damage control watch with trepidation as a flaming bird bursts forth from the church with a shriek, flying up high into the sky before disappearing.

"An animal with a quirk?" someone questions with fear.

A foreign, newly debuted, Pro-Hero narrows his eyes in thought, his wings fluttering as if wanting to fly after the flaming bird.

What a turn of events.

↞ « o » ↠

Once they all arrive back home, the first thing they do is bring Artemis into the living room and tend to their wounds, alongside patching Izuku up. The second thing they do, or rather, Izuku does, is bring out a vial filled with clear water and dump it into a large bowl, mixing it with more water to fill the bowl up. Artemis tears up as soon as they figure out what he's doing, and hugs him profusely once he sets the bowl on the floor.

"Thank you, for everything," they sniffle, and Izuku hugs them back fiercely. Another pair of arms wrap around them and Artemis starts to sob as Nimue hugs them, telling them both how brave they were and how proud she is of both of them.

"Thank you, for saving the person that means most to me, Izuku."

He rubs at his eyes and cheeks, smiling hard. Nimue turns to the adults in the room, and bows her head. "And thank you, for going along with this endeavor."

"I must ask," Izuku's mom starts, "why did you reach out to Izuku?"

She shares a smile with Izuku, primarily, before turning that smile towards the rest. "Because he is Midoriya Izuku, and everything he does, every action he takes, is because he's spat in the face of adversity and came out on top. In other words, a beacon."

"He's the beacon," Artemis begins tentatively. "A beacon of hope. A beacon that beckons others to take a stand and do what's right. In other words, a hero."

"He's a hero," his mom says in awe, before standing and embracing her son. "Do you hear that, Izukkun? You're a _hero_."

Izuku smiles tearfully, melting into his mom's embrace. "That's all I've ever wanted to hear."

"Izuku being a beacon of hope is what drew me to him. Why I asked him to do what he did, because I knew, deep within the magic in me, that he'd come out on top. I'm sorry to have asked your son to do this, Mrs. Midoriya, but he was my only hope." Nimue explains, rather tearfully at that.

His mom squeezes Izuku one more time before letting go of the embrace to properly address the Lady. "While I'm not happy he had to do it, I am happy that everything turned out to be fine and that this gentle person," here, she looks pointedly at Artemis, who blushes at the attention, "was saved."

Izuku raises his hand, and everyone turns to look at him incredulously. He rubs the back of his neck sheepishly. "Could I get an answer as to why I can now speak English?"

His mom whips around, "You can _what _now?"

"Speak English, apparently," he says, as mystified as she is.

"That's because you entered Avalon, I'm guessing." Artemis speaks up, encouraged by their mentor's nod. "Avalon is the home of multiple beings and peoples, so there are no linguistic barriers in Avalon. Once you enter Avalon, even if only once, you'll find that any and all linguistic barrier, truly, any language, is now comprehensible to you."

"Really?" he exclaims, enthused.

"Yeah, it's pretty cool." Artemis gushes. "I haven't had a problem in school with French or Spanish for years now, and when I say _any _language, that includes dead and extinct ones too. Like Latin!"

"No way!" Izuku says, of course, in Latin. He pauses, and Artemis grins. He asks, "was that Latin?" in his mother tongue.

They nod. Izuku and Artemis immediately start babbling in different languages, making everyone's, except Nimue, head spin.

Izuku and Artemis slowly taper off once everyone goes quiet, and his mom laughs. Making everyone else go off and laugh as well. "This will take some getting used to." She says, before exclaiming a soft "_Oh!_"

"Mom?" Izuku asks.

"I'll be right back!" she says quickly, before leaving the living room with SIlky in tow.

A minute passes by before both she and Silky enter the room. In his mom's hands is a birthday cake, with a candle in the shape of an eleven set ablaze.

"Happy birthday, Izuku." His mom says softly.

There's a beat of silence, before everyone else says in tandem, "_HAPPY BIRTHDAY, IZUKU!_"

"Blow the candle, sweetheart. Make a wish."

He smiles, and blows the candle.

_I wish to be able to protect those I care about_.


End file.
